Overview
This policy provides Zambia’s overarching vision to position the country among the top five tourism destinations in Sub-Saharan Africa by 2030. It presents a situation analysis of the sector, highlighting strengths such as rich wildlife and cultural assets, and challenges including limited product diversification, infrastructure gaps, high operating costs, weak inter-agency coordination, and capacity constraints. The document sets objectives to enhance competitiveness, integrate tourism into national planning, diversify products (including MICE, cultural, medical, mining, and sports tourism), expand domestic tourism, empower communities, improve environmental management, and promote quality standards, skills development, and investment. It prescribes measures for master planning, research and marketing, infrastructure development, financing mechanisms (including a Tourism Development Fund), streamlined regulation, and improved data through a Tourism Satellite Account. An implementation framework assigns roles to central and local government, statutory bodies, the private sector, and communities, emphasizing a whole-of-government approach, public–private partnerships, and stakeholder coordination. The policy also details monitoring and evaluation processes, legal review needs, and resource mobilization strategies to ensure sustainable growth and increased socioeconomic benefits.