The Zambian government on Wednesday welcomed the decision by the World Bank to approve 100 million U.S. dollars for the country’s tourism sector.
In a statement released Monday, the World Bank approved a 100-million-dollar credit to strengthen Zambia’s nature-based economy and increase economic opportunities in emerging tourism destinations in the southern African nation.
The funds will help increase economic opportunities and revenue from tourism and the broad nature-based economy sector by improving the enabling environment, financing basic infrastructure and providing matching grants to communities for investments in the nature-based economy.
Minister of Tourism Rodney Sikumba welcomed the decision by the World Bank, saying it will go a long way in boosting the tourism sector in the country. He told journalists during a press briefing that the approval has come at the right time when the government is trying to make Zambia a tourism destination.
While acknowledging that Zambia has abundant tourism sites, he said most of the areas do not have a conducive environment to attract tourists, adding that the funds will be used to improve infrastructure in tourism-rich regions. “What we want is to create a destination and we are looking at connecting tourism areas,” he said.
The minister noted that the sector suffered a setback during the COVID-19 period but disclosed that the government has come up with a plan to attract more tourists.
The ministry is looking at both attracting domestic and international tourists, said the Zambian official, adding that the sector has the potential to provide sustainable employment.
Xinhua
