Zambia Tourism Agency partners with BBC, Expedia to pull massive global Tourists

The Zambia Tourism Agency (ZTA) has officially signed six-month Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with two international media companies, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and the American travel technology company, Expedia Group. This strategic collaboration aims to significantly boost Zambia’s visibility as a premier tourism destination through a targeted six-month tourism campaign.

Speaking at a media briefing attended by the Zambian Business Times – ZBT, ZTA Chief Executive Officer, Matongo Matamwandi, highlighted ZTA’s ambitious goal to reach 3 million tourist arrivals by 2026, contributing substantially to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and fostering job creation within the sector. To achieve this, Matamwandi said the agency has developed a comprehensive marketing plan, with these new partnerships forming a crucial part of its strategy.

“Part of our strategy involves leveraging satellite TV broadcasters like the BBC and prominent online media platforms, which is why we chose Expedia,” Matamwandi explained. He emphasized that these selections were intentional, designed to drive the desired increase in tourist numbers.

Matamwandi clarified that the selection process for both BBC and Expedia was rigorous, adhering to public procurement regulations. “We would have liked to initiate this much earlier, but we had to follow the normal procurement process. BBC competed with other major television stations like CNN and Al Jazeera, and through the tender process, BBC emerged as our preferred broadcaster,” he noted.

A key factor in choosing the BBC was its extensive global reach and competitive pricing. Matamwandi revealed, “We were particularly attracted to their reach as they will connect with more people. I must also state that they were reasonable in price and willing to negotiate, securing us close to a 60 percent discount on the contract we’re signing. This was inspired by the President’s continuous encouragement to negotiate the best deals for the country.”

He said the six-month BBC tourism promotional campaign is projected to provide immense brand visibility for Zambia. “With 125 million monthly viewers on their platform, and a presence in 200 states worldwide, the campaign is expected to deliver significant exposure. Beyond traditional media, the digital component of the BBC campaign alone is anticipated to generate close to 300 million website views.”

He noted that the motivation behind this extensive awareness campaign stems from a recent survey conducted in key source markets including the UK, Europe, and the U.S adding that the results from an independent organization in the UK showed alarming awareness levels only three percent in the UK, two percent in Europe, and five percent in the U.S. knew about Zambia as a holiday destination. “This means that for every hundred people asked, only a handful were aware of Zambia. This motivated us to launch a mass marketing awareness campaign, ensuring potential tourists know Zambia exists and offers numerous products for holidays.”

Similarly, Expedia Group, a leading online travel agency, was selected after a competitive tender process against platforms like Booking.com and Trivago. Matamwandi highlighted Expedia’s strong numbers and reasonable pricing as key determinants.

“Expedia’s platform is more targeted, as it caters directly to the tourism trade – travel agents, destination marketing companies, and individuals looking to book travel. By advertising Zambia directly on these platforms, we are reaching our target audience right where they are actively planning their trips.”

Matamwandi emphasized the government’s insistence on demonstrable return on investment (ROI) for increased marketing budgets. “We need to know what we are getting in terms of revenue, contribution to GDP, and job creation for every dollar invested in promoting Zambia,” he stressed. “Expedia’s data will enable us to report back to the government with tangible results, advocating for further investment in the sector.”

ZTA CEO also passionately advocated for tourism’s long-term sustainability. “Tourism is probably the most sustainable sector we have as a country,” he asserted. “Unlike minerals, which are finite, tourism, especially our nature-based tourism, is sustainable because we don’t deplete anything from nature.”

He further highlighted tourism’s widespread economic benefits, reaching every district in Zambia and offering employment opportunities across various skill levels. “Tourism can employ almost everyone, anywhere, from tour guides to lodge staff who can be trained on the job,” Matamwandi said. “We believe that if we build this sector, it has the potential to one day attract 10 million tourists, which would have a tremendous impact on GDP and job creation.”

Matamwandi said the new key source markets include the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) countries such as Dubai, Qatar, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia, as well as India, China, and Brazil.

He also noted the growing importance of regional tourism. “Zimbabweans are taking holidays in Zambia, and South Africa now accounts for the highest number of arrivals into Zambia, so we are not ignoring these vital regional markets,” he stated. He also hinted at a future agreement with Kenya to facilitate tourist exchanges, capitalizing on East Africa’s lack of significant waterfalls, a key attraction in Zambia.

“We have expanded our key source markets to include the African region as a whole, and these are the major markets we will focus on. The BBC’s coverage of most of these markets was a significant attraction for us, and we are hopeful for positive results from these campaigns,” Matamwandi concluded.

The Zambia Tourism Agency (ZTA) has officially

Lumwana – Kambimba DRC border road construction resumes

The construction of the 89-kilometer Lumwana-Kambimba Road, which will open a highway between Zambia’s largest copper-producing region of North-Western Province and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)’s copper-rich province of Lualaba, with its capital Kolwezi, is now underway and progressing.

An on-the-spot check and tour conducted by the Zambian Business Times (ZBT) revealed that the concessionaire, Sandstone Consortium, has fully mobilized and resumed road construction works after securing key approvals needed to commence construction works.

The road is expected to be financed by a combination of equity and debt, with the consortium having fully mobilized and resumed construction works by injecting their own equity with the financial closure for securing full financing now almost complete.

The signing of the border agreement between Zambia and the DRC remains the only outstanding action, perhaps the final hurdle that the Zambian government needs to urgently facilitate to enable full financial closure and accelerated road and border infrastructure construction.

A check on the Zambian side by ZBT revealed that site mobilization is complete, with a fully functional site lab installed, construction equipment, and earth-moving vehicles and machines on site, and works progressing.

ZBT also found that Sandstone Consortium has secured and has on-site a full complement of construction consultants, project managers, and general workers (mostly hired from the local community), with construction works now underway.

Bush clearing of the approved road pathway is 100% done, with 78km out of the 89km fully surveyed and cleared.

Sandstone Consortium official representative Marcus Ascott told ZBT during the site visit and tour that the partnership with the government has so far been excellent. The government, through the Zambia Environmental Management Agency (ZEMA), has timely approved the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) plan, and the resettlement plan has also been approved, with all affected individuals duly resettled.

“Yes, ZEMA has timely approved the EIA plan, the resettlement plan, and we have received support from the Ministry of Infrastructure, the Road Development Agency (RDA), and the Public Private Partnership (PPP) team,” Ascott told ZBT.

Ascott further told ZBT that “the road designs, which were done by the consortium partner and well-respected engineering firm Rankin Engineering, have also been approved, which has enabled Sandstone Consortium to immediately commence construction.”

The two concessionaires from both the Zambian and DRC sides of the border have also signed a co-operation agreement and have agreed to coordinate their works such that the roads from both sides of the two countries progress simultaneously. This will enable the road construction and border infrastructure completion timelines to be coordinated to ensure efficiencies and the opening up of the trade route without delay.

When asked by ZBT which government agency or ministry was remaining for the PPP road construction project to attain full financial closure so that construction works can be accelerated, Sandstone Consortium stated that the only remaining step is for the Ministry of Commerce and Trade, working with the Ministry of International Relations, to conclude engagements with their DRC counterparts and sign off the border agreement.

“Once the border agreement is signed off, all things being equal, this road construction will be accelerated, and with our project team and experienced consultants and partners on the ground, we can look at completing this project even ahead of the current projection of two years for the construction period.”

The Lumwana-Kambimba border road is an important economic road that will not only improve trade volumes between Zambia and the DRC but will also provide massive business and employment opportunities for the people of North-Western Province and Zambia as a whole. This road project is greenfield as it is opening up new land for development, new border infrastructure, as well as warehousing, retail, and commercial opportunities at the border and along the new road. This implies new and more business opportunities and jobs for Zambians.

The construction of the 89-kilometer Lumwana-Kambimba Road,