Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. In a remarkable display of diplomatic effort, Zambia hosted a high profile bilateral meeting with His Excellency Zurab Pololikashvili, the Secretary-General of the United Nations Tourism.
The meeting, which took place in the Livingstone is a significant step toward strengthening Zambia’s position in global tourism and enhancing collaboration with the UN Tourism for sustainable tourism development.
The meeting was attended by key figures from Zambia’s government, including the Minister of Tourism, as well as senior officials from the UN Tourism. The discussions centered on Zambia’s potential to become a leading tourism destination in Africa, focusing on how the country could leverage its unique cultural heritage, natural resources and diverse wildlife to attract more international visitors.
His Excellency Pololikashvili commended Zambia for its rich cultural heritage, natural beauty, and commitment to preserving its environment. He praised the country’s efforts to balance tourism development with sustainability.
One of the major topics of conversation was the promotion of entrepreneurship skills training in the country to equip the citizens to be their own bosses in the tourism industry.
Minister of Tourism Rodney Sikumba highlighted the importance of having an academy center in the country that will provide hospitality as well as entrepreneurship skills training as the curriculum is already available.
Zambia expressed its desire to diversify its tourism offerings, moving beyond traditional safari tourism to include cultural, adventure, and eco-tourism experiences and growing connectivity.
The UN Tourism Secretary-General offered his full support in providing technical assistance, training programs and marketing strategies to help Zambia enhance its tourism infrastructure.
He further emphasized the need for public-private partnerships to drive investment in the tourism sector, which would help create jobs, reduce poverty and empower local communities.
In his closing remarks, Zambia’s Minister of Tourism thanked His Excellency Pololikashvili for his visit and affirmed Zambia’s commitment to aligning its tourism policies with the UN Tourism’s global goals.
This landmark meeting marks the beginning of a promising partnership between Zambia and the UN Tourism, one that is poised to help Zambia thrive as a beacon of sustainable tourism in Africa.
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