Africa-Press – Zambia. Zambia Tourism Agency (ZTA) says the establishment of the national airline, Zambia Airways has contributed significantly to domestic tourism. ZTA Acting Chief Executive Officer Chavunga Lungu says the national airline’s competitive pricing has worked in favour of domestic tourism.
Speaking in an interview with ZANIS, Mr Lungu said the airline servicing domestic routes has also contributed greatly to local tourism. “Zambia Airways were clever when they were coming in. They decided to be servicing some of these routes where we have our natural endowments and people would want to travel to these particular places,” he said.
The national airline commence operations on 01st December 2021 from its hub in Lusaka to domestic destinations of Livingstone and Ndola. The airline currently has frequency of five and six times a week to Livingstone and Ndola, respectively.
The airline will introduce additional domestic routes to Mfuwe and Solwezi and add regional destinations, Johannesburg, and Harare, to its network within the first quarter of 2022.
Zambia Airways (2014) Limited is the flag carrier of the Republic of Zambia with its hub at Kenneth Kaunda Airport in Lusaka. It is established in accordance with the shareholder’s agreement signed between the Government of Zambia through Industrial Development Corporation Limited (IDC) and Ethiopian Airlines Group in August 2018 where IDC owns 55% while Ethiopian Airlines Group (ET) owns 45% of the shares.
And Mr Lungu said there has been an improvement in domestic tourism adding that there is now wide acceptance for local tourism products. Pointing out that statistics were still being tabulated, and would be ready next month , Mr Lungu however expressed optimism that when statistics are fully compiled, they will show an upward trend regarding domestic tourism.
“Yes there has been an improvement, an upward trajectory we believe as Zambia Tourism Agency. This is on the premise that the numbers that we saw in 2021 and 2020 that supported the hospitality industry was actually domestic tourism.
“ More than 60 percent of the tourism business was sustained by domestic travelers,” he said.
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