STORY: Zambia tourism body seeks stronger cooperation with China
SHOOTING TIME: June 12, 2024
DATELINE: June 14, 2024
LENGTH: 00:03:20
LOCATION: Lusaka
CATEGORY: ECONOMY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of the Chinese built Kenneth Kaunda International Airport (KKIA)
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): TECLA ZONDIWE-NGWENYA, TCZ treasurer
3. various of Mulungushi Conference Center
4. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): VICTOR INAMBWAE, TCZ chief executive officer
5. SOUNDBITE 3 (English): STEPHEN MWANSA, TCZ service-level consultant
6. various of KKIA

STORYLINE:   

Officials at the Tourism Council of Zambia (TCZ) have said that the council wants to see increased cooperation with China.

The TCZ is keen to tap into the huge Chinese market to boost Zambia's tourism, said Tecla Zondiwe-Ngwenya, the TCZ treasurer. "It is a market that we are paying much attention to and respect," she said in an interview Wednesday.

The Chinese are welcome to visit tourist sites in Zambia and invest in various untapped tourism areas in the country, Zondiwe-Ngwenya said.

SOUNDBITE 1 (English): TECLA ZONDIWE-NGWENYA, TCZ treasurer
"I'm sure that you're very much aware that there might be a direct flight coming from China. That will increase our arrivals from China. So it's something that we are actually looking forward to. If we can have a direct flight from Lusaka to China, we will certainly have a lot more people coming in from China, even just on trade, if we talk about trade itself. As Zambians, we are always traveling to China to try and get goods that we so wish to get. I'm sure you should be aware that China is one of the countries that has been put on the list of visa waivers, so we are very excited."

Victor Inambwae, the TCZ chief executive officer, applauded the cordial cooperation between the two countries in various sectors, including cultural exchanges and tourism.

SOUNDBITE 2 (English): VICTOR INAMBWAE, TCZ chief executive officer
"There has been a lot of economic cooperation between Zambia and China, not just in tourism but across economic sectors. China and Zambia launched their culture year (the 2024 Zambia-China Culture and Tourism Year). That was on May 11. So that kick-starts some kind of cooperation on various aspects. But culturally and in terms of cultural exchange, we have had a lot of support from the Chinese government. The key among the tourism products that we have in the country is the Tazara Memorial which will soon be handed over to the Zambian government as a gift. But then if you look at that, it is a tourism attraction that actually should enhance our relationship in terms of cultural exchange and really add onto to the historical heritage, the common heritage that we have with the Chinese government."

Stephen Mwansa, a TCZ service-level consultant, said the two countries stand to benefit from enhanced cooperation in the tourism sector as Zambia has many tourist areas that have not been developed and need investments from countries like China.

SOUNDBITE 3 (English): STEPHEN MWANSA, TCZ service-level consultant
"So if we reduce the cultural distance through cooperation, stronger cultural cooperation between Zambia and China, that would help, and the Chinese, using their marketing infrastructure, can help us market our tourism. They can help us because they have invested here in terms of hotels as the director has put it, but also, the Chinese have built most of our tourism infrastructure here, airports and all that."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Lusaka.
(XHTV)