Zambia Chases 5 Million Tourists

She said Zambia’s participation supported the Government’s Grow Zambia Agenda and its ambition to attract five million tourist arrivals by 2031.

Ms Shansonga said achieving the target would require more diverse tourism products, stronger international marketing and increased private-sector investment.

She said Zambia also needed to develop destinations that encouraged visitors to stay longer and spend more money.

“Zambia’s participation in the Global Tourism City Summit is an opportunity to position our country more prominently on the international tourism stage. We are engaging with other destinations to exchange knowledge, explore collaborative opportunities and identify approaches that can strengthen our tourism offering, attract investment and increase visitor arrivals,” Ms Shansonga said.

She said Zambia could benefit from international experience in destination branding, digital transformation and sustainable tourism management.

Ms Shansonga said these approaches could improve the competitiveness of local tourism destinations, create business opportunities and generate employment for communities.

She said cooperation among national tourism authorities, local governments and the private sector was essential to developing the industry.

Ms Shansonga added that the ZTA would explore joint marketing, knowledge exchange and investment opportunities to support the country’s tourism ambitions.

And Lusaka Mayor Chitambala Mwewa said the summit would help the city learn how other international destinations integrated tourism into urban planning, infrastructure development and economic growth.

Mr Mwewa said Lusaka had the potential to become a vibrant urban tourism destination by promoting its cultural diversity, hospitality, local cuisine, arts, entertainment, business activities and conference facilities.

He said learning from successful international cities could help Lusaka improve its appeal to visitors and strengthen its global profile.

Mr Mwewa said cooperation among the Lusaka City Council, ZTA, Government and private-sector players would be important in turning lessons from the summit into practical tourism initiatives.

He said such partnerships could attract investment, support local businesses and create employment opportunities.

Mr Mwewa added that promoting Lusaka’s tourism attractions would complement Zambia’s established wildlife, adventure, cultural and nature-based destinations.

He said this could encourage tourists to explore more parts of the country and help Zambia achieve its target of five million tourist arrivals by 2031.

The 2nd Global Tourism City Summit will take place in Busan, Republic of Korea, from October 26 to 28, 2026.

The Zambian delegation includes government officials and other representatives. The statement identifies the delegation leader as the Mayor of Lukass.