(ZANIS)-MINISTER of Tourism Rodney Sikumba says Zambia and the Dominican Republic need to form partnerships and explore areas of collaboration in the tourism sector.
Mr. Sikumba said the difference in the types of tourism products offered by the two countries provides an opportunity for the two countries to collaborate in investment and share best practices.
Speaking when he conferred with his Dominican Republic counterpart David Collado in the Punta Cana, Mr. Sikumba added that the unique cultural diversity of Zambia could be shared through exchange programmes with the Dominican Republic.
He affirmed Zambia’s commitment to work with various stakeholders to market and improve Zambia’s image as the best tourist destination.
And Minister of Tourism for the Dominican Republic David Collado called on his counterpart to woo Dominican Republic investors to Zambia and make it one of the priority investment areas in Africa.
The two countries have since commenced drafting a Memorandum of Understanding that will spell out common interests and working relations in the fields of travel, tourism, hospitality and investment in order to actualise the identified opportunities.
Earlier, Mr. Sikumba acknowledged the massive tourism development in the Dominican Republic and applauded that country for the strides it has made in tourism which currently accounts for 21 percent of the National Gross Domestic Product with growth of 9.5 million international arrivals per annum.
He noted the significant accomplishments made in training their tourism workforce in conjunction with the World Tourism Organisation to strengthen the tourism human capital base.
Mr. Sikumba has since extended an invitation to Mr. Collado to visit Zambia and appreciate the rich tourism sector.
This is according to a Press Statement released by the Embassy of the Republic of Zambia in France.
