TOURISM Minister Rodney Sikumba has said Government wants to ensure that opportunities are created for individuals and communities for them to be integrated in the tourism value chain.
In a speech read for him by Tourism Permanent Secretary Evans Muhanga, during the commemoration of the World Tourism Day at Kabwata Cultural Village yesterday, the minister said there was need to experience the benefits of belonging to the tourism network.
He said President Hakainde Hichilema had stressed the importance of reducing the cost of doing business in the tourism sector, streamlining visa requirements and upgrading tourism sites, among other measures.
The minister said particular emphasis had been placed on opening up the Kasaba Bay in Nsumbu National Park in the Northern Circuit and the Liuwa National Park in the Southern Circuit.
Mr Sikumba made an assurance that Zambians were keenly following up on these policy pronouncements to ensure that they were actualised.
He expressed confidence that the private sector would join hands with the Government to ensure that access to tourism sites was enhanced.
