Tourism in Zambia relates to

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring (disambiguation), touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tour (disambiguation), tours. Th ...

in the

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

n nation

Zambia Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referred to as being in Southern Africa at its most cent ...

. The tourism industry is a major and growing industry in Zambia. Zambia has more than 2500

lion The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large Felidae, cat of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; short, rounded head; round ears; and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphi ...

s along with several

National park A national park is a nature park, natural park in use for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state dec ...

waterfall A waterfall is a point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in several wa ...

lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...

river A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of wate ...

s, and historic monuments. Zambia has been involved in several agreements on tourism with nations like

Uganda }), is a landlocked country in East Africa East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territor ...

and

Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

Ministry of Tourism and Arts said Zambia is a model in tourism in Africa
Zambia Tourism Agency
(ZTA) has partnered with the

Government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...

through the

Ministry of Tourism The Minister of Tourism is the head of the governmental department that specializes in tourism, recreation and/or culture. The position exists in many different countries under several names: *Ministry of Tourism and Environment (Albania) *Ministry ...

and private sector to enhance the marketing aspect in the tourism industry.

Overview

Zambia’s tourism industry is one of the country’s growth potential areas. It has been given the non-traditional export status and is receiving a lot of support from the Government by way of

infrastructure Infrastructure is the set of facilities and systems that serve a country, city, or other area, and encompasses the services and facilities necessary for its economy, households and firms to function. Infrastructure is composed of public and priv ...

development, promotion of increased private sector participation, as well as attractive tax incentives for all investments in the sector.

Hunting Hunting is the human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products (fur/hide (skin), hide, ...

is also an important part of the Zambian tourist industry. Though the country banned all hunting in January 2013 amid concerns of corruption and over hunting of certain species, it legalized hunting again for most

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

plains game Plains game is well established in literature and conversation as the sporting hunter's generic term for all those fair-game species of antelope and gazelle which are to be found - typically in rather open plains or savanna habitats - throughout ...

in 2014. Additionally, the Zambian Tourism Minister announced that leopards may be legally hunted starting in 2015 and

lions The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large cat of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; short, rounded head; round ears; and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphic; adult ...

may be hunted again beginning in 2016.

Tourist Attractions

Governmental Policies Regarding Tourism

Due to Zambia's poor economic status, the country has historically relied on foreign aid in an attempt to alleviate poverty. Tourism has emerged in recent years as an alternate method to mining to boost Zambia's economy. Tourism is being seen by Zambia's government as a tool for economic and rural development, as it generates income, creates jobs, promotes wildlife conservation, and improves standards of living. The increasingly popular worldwide phenomena adventure tourism has also risen in popularity within Zambia, especially within the city of Livingstone, which is now becoming known as Africa's "adventure tourism capital". Since tourism as an economic sector is boosted with cooperation between neighboring countries, Zambia, as a member of the South African Development Community (SADC), has cooperated with other countries within the SADC in order to mutually attract tourists. Zambia, along with fellow SADC nations, have struggled to compete with other nations with more established tourist destinations, for a variety of reasons, some of which include difficulty in transportation to the countries, an absence of direct international flights, and failure to create attractive tourist experiences or products.

Efforts to Promote Tourism

As a member of the SADC,Zambia engaged in the following efforts to promote tourism. SADC Tourism Protocol 1998 - Member countries are urged to created a "Univisa" that would allow tourists to travel across the borders of SADC countries freely. After initial success, in November 2014, Zambia and Zimbabwe signed a memorandum of understanding to put into effect a more permanent UNIVISA which allows tourists to visit both countries with a single visa. Regional Tourism Organization of South Africa (RETOSA) 2002 - In an attempt to make the SADC more appealing to visitors, the charter imposed upon member states of SADC a series of protocols and programs to promote the region. Zambia is currently struggling to facilitate tourism without creating a burden on local communities that would result in a loss of culture, an unstable economy, and compromised environment.

Tourism as a form of wildlife conservation

An increase in sport hunting and ecotourism has resulted in an increase in wildlife populations in South African countries such as Zambia. Since Zambia is home to so many national parks, waterfalls, and game management areas, most of Zambia's tourism is dependent on wildlife. Ecotourism within Zambia, while devastated by the Covid-19 pandemic, has played a major role in controlling poaching and bringing in foreign investment for wildlife protection. One U.N. Development Programme, the Lion's Share, announced recently its commitment to grant $400,000 towards wildlife-based tourism in Zambia, in order to protect wildlife and generate jobs. Not only is wildlife essential to the development of Zambia's Tourism industry and thus Zambia's economy, but tourism is also essential to the preservation of wildlife in Zambia. The Minister of Tourism and Arts of Zambia stands by the framework defined in expectations and goals set out in the Agenda 2030, an initiative to increase tourism sustainability in Africa. However, tourism has also been linked to an increase in urbanization within Zambia, at the detriment of the environmentalism efforts. Another challenge of tourism is documented instances of the Dengue Virus being spread throughout the region from other neighboring countries.

Gallery

File:Victoria Falls Bridge over Zambesi.jpg,

Victoria Falls Bridge The Victoria Falls Bridge crosses the Zambezi River just below the Victoria Falls and is built over the Second Gorge of the falls. As the river forms the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia, the bridge links the two countries and has border post ...

File:Lusaka National Museum.JPG,

Lusaka National Museum The Lusaka National Museum is a museum located in Lusaka, Zambia Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa, although it is ...

File:Victoria Falls 2012.jpg,

Victoria Falls Victoria Falls ( Lozi: ''Mosi-oa-Tunya'', "The Smoke That Thunders"; Tonga: ''Shungu Namutitima'', "Boiling Water") is a waterfall on the Zambezi River in southern Africa, which provides habitat for several unique species of plants and animal ...

File:Loxodonta africana South Luangwa National Park (1).jpg,

South Luangwa National Park South Luangwa National Park is in eastern Zambia, the southernmost of three national parks in the valley of the Luangwa River. It is a world-renowned wildlife haven which is known to locals simply as "the South Park."Concentrations of game along ...

File:Lumangwe falls on the Kalungwishi river during the dry season(September-October).jpg,

Lumangwe Falls Lumangwe Falls on the Kalungwishi River in northern Zambia is the largest waterfall wholly within the country, with a height of 30-40 m and a width of 100-160 m. It is a block-type waterfall located between the Luapula and Northern Provinces. The ...

File:Tourist imagine.jpg, Ntumbachushi Falls File:Roan Antelope, Kafue National Park, Zambia, Nov 2011.jpg, Kafue National Park File:Ngonye Falls.jpg, Ngonye Falls File:Mfuwe Sunset.jpg, Mfuwe Sunset File:Samfya beach,Lake Bangweulu before covid 19 pandemic.jpg, Samfya Beach File:Zambezi River at junction of Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe & Botswana.jpg, Zambezi River at junction of Zambia, Namibia, Zimbabwe & Botswana File:Lascar Hippopotamus (Zambezi river) (4548290808).jpg, Hippopotamus in the Zambezi River File:Chisimba Falls.JPG,

Chisimba Falls Chisimba Falls, also Chishimba Falls is a series of waterfalls located in Kasama District, in the Northern Province of Zambia. The waterfalls host the Chishimba Hydroelectric Power Station. The scenic views around the falls, together with a ...

File:Lake Kariba in Siavonga, Southern Zambia.jpg,

Lake Kariba Lake Kariba is the world's largest artificial lake and reservoir (water), reservoir by List of lakes by volume, volume. It lies upstream from the Indian Ocean, along the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe. Lake Kariba was filled between 1958 and ...

in Siavonga File:Bangweulu Swamps.jpg, Bangweulu Wetlands

Visa Regulations

As of 1 October 2022, visa requirements were waived for tourists holding a passport from the following countries and territories:

Arrivals by country

References

{{Zambia topics