By BENEDICT TEMBO
Emirates and Zambia Tourism have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to jointly promote tourism and boost visitor arrivals to Zambia by leveraging Emirates’ extensive global network of 140 destinations.
The Memorandum of Understanding was signed by Badr Abbas, Emirates’ Senior Vice President Commercial Operations for Africa, and Matongo Matamwandi, Chief Executive Officer, Zambia Tourism Agency (ZTA).
Through this partnership, the two parties will explore opportunities to collaborate on key initiatives and undertake various activities to promote experiences in Zambia and increase the visibility of the destination within the Emirates network. Both parties will also consider various advertising and marketing campaigns to drive inbound visitors to Zambia.
Badr Abbas, SVP, Commercial Operations, Africa at Emirates, said: “We are pleased to work with Zambia Tourism and support their initiatives to advance the tourism economy. Zambia has been part of our destination network for more than ten years. We have been steadily building traffic into Zambia across the Middle East, Europe, the Americas, India, and China, and we look forward driving more travellers to Zambia. The MoU signed today will help us explore mutually beneficial initiatives that will boost the nation’s tourism and trade sectors and provide Emirates with an opportunity to serve market demand.”
Matongo Matamwandi, CEO Zambia Tourism Agency, said : “Zambia offers a rich tourism offering and wealth of opportunities to pursue outdoor activities, a rich and diverse cultural heritage, and unrivalled wildlife offerings in 20 National Parks and 36 Game Management Areas. The country has unique landmarks including the Victoria Falls in Livingstone, the World’s largest Bat migration in Kasanka National Park, Mwela Rocks in Kasama, the Thornicroft Giraffe in South Luangwa National Park and The Moto Moto Museum in Mbala. We are confident that the partnership with Emirates will give a boost to the tourism industry in Zambia and attract visitors from across the Emirates network showcasing the unique experiences that Zambia has to offer.”
Emirates launched operations to Zambia in 2012 and has grown the route over the years to offer a daily service with seven flights a week. The route is served by a Boeing 777-300ER offering eight private suites in First Class, 42 lie-flat seats in Business Class and 310 spacious seats in Economy Class. The airline supports trade lanes through the export of Zambian commodities like dry and smoked seafood, precious stones and imports such as pharmaceuticals, mobile phones, auto spare parts, apparel, printed materials and drilling equipment in its belly-hold, enabling commerce and supporting the local economy.
