Zambia is targeting a 20% annual growth in arrivals from the Indian market.

The country is currently receiving about 30 000 annual visitors from the Asian country.

Zambia Tourism Board Public Relations and Media Manager Caristo Chitamfya said ZTB’s plan was to increase presence and visibility in the market with road shows having been undertaken in Mumbai, New Delhi and Bangalore.

Chitamfya said: “We have hosted the travel trade from India and the results can be seen through the increased number of outbound operators that are now selling or promoting Zambia.”

He said part of the efforts being made towards growing the Indian market include the appointment of a marketing representative in India and increasing media coverage of the destination. “We have also identified some travel magazine where we will be placing some advertorial on a quarterly basis,” Chitamfya said

Chitamfya added that the Zambian board attended fairs and workshops for the trade.

“We have received overwhelming response and the interest is growing. Other interventions include hosting press trip for the media which will increase destination awareness and publicity in the market,” he said.

According to the Zambian Tourism Board, plans are underway to introduce online destination workshops as well as other social media campaigns in the market.

The board also said it will be hosting celebrities from Bollywood.

Speaking about the importance of the Indian market for Zambia, Chief Executive Officer Felix Chaila said: “Indians are looking for untapped new destinations and we are unveiling our destination to this market.

“Zambia is trying to remove all constrains for the India market, so that Indians can travel comfortably. Earlier a traveller had to produce a Yellow Fever Vaccination Certificate as a visa requirement, now we have removed this document. We have also introduced electronic visa for the Indians,” said Chaila. He added that Indian travellers are looking for a safe destination in Africa and said Zambia can provide this.