Zambian elections will not affect tourism

Ndola — The Livingstone Tourism Association (LTA) has expressed optimism that Zambia will host peaceful elections this year and that tourist arrivals will not be affected.

Ndola — The Livingstone Tourism Association (LTA) has expressed optimism that Zambia will host peaceful elections this year and that tourist arrivals will not be affected.

LTA chairperson Kingsley Lilamono said Zambia was well-known for holding peaceful elections since the time of independence in 1964, hence the 2011 elections would also be peaceful.

Speaking in Livingstone in an interview, Mr Lilamono said the holding of elections would not affect tourist arrivals because Zambia was a peaceful country.

Recently, President Rupiah Banda announced that this year’s elections would take place on September 20, 2011.

Meanwhile, Zambia and Zimbabwe have finalised a bid document to co-host the 20th session of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) general assembly in Victoria Falls town and Livingstone in 2013.

The two countries agreed upon a bid document designed to meet the UNWTO specifications on hosting the meeting.

This is according to a joint communiqué issued in Livingstone on Wednesday afternoon by the Ministry of Tourism and Hospitality Industry of Zimbabwe and the Ministry of Tourism, Environment and Natural Resources of Zambia.

Representatives from both countries have been meeting over the last three weeks in Victoria Falls town and Livingstone to develop and finalise the joint bid document for the co-hosting of the 20th session of the 186 member UNWTO general assembly in 2013.

The technical committees from the two countries were headed by respective tourism permanent secretaries Peter Mumba from Zambia and Sylvester Maunganidze from Zimbabwe

“Zambia and Zimbabwe have put together a formidable document and supporting collateral which will be submitted to the UNWTO, in Spain by the 8th of August 2011, for consideration.

“The two countries have also devised a lobby strategy to garner support from the UNWTO member states in the run up to the final bid selection,” the communiqué reads in part.

The general assembly is the principal gathering of the UNWTO which meets every two years to consider the budget and programme of work of the United Nations specialised agency on tourism.

Delegates to the general assembly are drawn from the six regional commissions of the UNWTO from Africa, the Americas, the East and Pacific Europe, the Middle East and South Asia.

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Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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