The Zambia Tourism Agency (ZTA) says participation in regional and global platforms such as the International Tourism Bourse (ITB) that just closed in Berlin, Germany is one of the strategies that has helped in contributing to the growth in tourist arrivals.
Speaking on the side-lines of the ITB in Berlin, ZTA Chief Marketing Officer Mr Humphrey Chola said the ITB is one of the largest shows globally in the travel sector and that a lot of partners in the Germany market have been reached adding that feedback has so far indicated that the 2025 ITB was a huge success compared to previous years.
ZTA also managed to attract some hosted buyers and international media that have shown interest in attending the Zambia Tourism Expo (ZATEX) which is scheduled for 5th to 7th June 2025 at Mulungushi International Conference Centre in Lusaka. They will also have an opportunity to undertake some familiarisation trips while in Zambia.
Mr Chola said at the beginning of 2024 several targets which included attracting more international tourist arrivals, growing domestic tourism, and driving awareness among international and domestic consumers were set and that he was glad to indicate that the targets were successfully achieved through long term and short-term tactical actions.
He said the target to reach 1 billion online views by December 2024 was reached, with over 1.5 billion views achieved while the target for 2 million international arrivals was reached with over 2 million (2.2 million) arrivals by the end of 2024.
Mr Chola further said a domestic campaign called Yamu loko has been running, aimed at ensuring that local people are not left out in terms of participating in tourism,
The Zambian delegation at this year’s ITB was led by Zambia’s Ambassador to the Federal Republic of Germany, H.E Winnie Natala Chibesakunda, Zambia Tourism Agency (ZTA) Chief Executive Officer Mr Matongo Matamwandi, Officers from ZTA, Ministry of Tourism and several private sector players.
A record number of international exhibitors from over 170 countries took part in this year’s ITB Berlin trade show.