Zimbabwe and Zambia announced on May 29 that both countries have agreed to set up a joint tourism facilitation committee, which will coordinate combined marketing campaigns and deliberate on issues affecting the sector.
A one-day bilateral meeting held in Livingstone, Zambia, saw officials from both sides of the Zambezi River stressing the need for increased collaboration in the development of tourism within the two countries.
The meeting, which was held under the auspices of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), signed between the two countries, ended with tourism officials agreeing on the establishment of a joint tourism facilitation committee.
Chief Executive for Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA), Karikoga Kaseke described the meeting as a success, adding that joint marketing efforts are critical in unlocking the potential of the tourism industry for the benefit of both countries. “When we met at the tourism Indaba in Durban in South Africa (Africa’s Travel Indaba 2018), a number of issues were raised, and l am happy that all the contentious issues were amicably resolved during today’s meeting. It was also resolved that a joint tourism facilitation committee be set up,” he said.
The proposed joint tourism facilitation committee will comprise officials from the Department of Immigration, revenue authorities, police, as well as tourism operators from both countries, with the first meeting expected to be held in June.
Zimbabwe and Zambia co-hosted the 20th session of the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) General Assembly, and since the session, the two countries have been implementing the Kavango Zambezi (KAZA) univisa project to ease tourist travel between the two nations.
