…….media could be helpful in tourism promotion
Prague, November 17, 2018
The Zambian government must seriously consider enlisting the Czech Republic media in its efforts to attract and increase visitors into Zambia. Head of African countries at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic Mrs. Nicol Adamcova said media reports have demonstrated their impact for good or bad when they report on any given subject.
“Media reports on Zambia’s tourism and places of interest to holiday makers, for instance, if carried in the media here in the Czech Republic should help your efforts aimed at promoting tourism in your country”, Mrs. Adamcova told Zambia’s Ambassador to Germany His Excellency Anthony Mukwita who is also accredited to the Czech Republic on a non-residential basis.
The Czech official told Ambassador Mukwita that countries on the African continent have been stereotyped for far too long depicted as warzones, poor and dangerous to visit, a picture she said “must be addressed if numbers of visitors from Europe are to increase”.
In response, Ambassador Mukwita, a journalist by training, said there was a tendency in some sections of the international media and some commentators to speak of Africa as a country and yet Africa is a continent.
He said as a result conflicts in one or two countries are commented upon or reported as though the entire continent was affected by the event in question.
“Indeed, it’s time we urgently addressed this wrong portrayal of Africa”, the Zambian envoy said.
In recent years, the tourism section at the Zambian embassy in Berlin headed by Ms. Susan Katema has led familiarization tours to Zambia in the company of some media personnel from Germany who, in turn, reported on the country’s tourism opportunities.
Ambassador Mukwita said such initiatives must be increased so that the Zambian good story is shared by the many citizens of Europe who are looking for places outside their own countries to relax.
“Next year, we have budgeted for media-related campaigns that should increase Zambia’s visibility in countries of our extra-accreditation”, said Ambassador Mukwita.
The senior diplomat is accredited on a non-residential basis to Hungary, the Slovak Republic, Poland, Slovenia, Austria and the Czech Republic where he just presented his credentials to President Milos Zeman.