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The Zambia Tourism Agency (ZTA) is exploring international partnerships and innovative approaches to tourism development to strengthen Zambia’s global destination profile, attract investment and accelerate tourism-led economic growth in line with the Government’s Grow Zambia Agenda.
ZTA Acting Chief Executive Officer,Abigail Shansonga, said Zambia’s participation in the 2nd Global Tourism City Summit in Busan, Republic of Korea, provided an important platform to learn from international cities.
The summit, taking place from October 26 to 28, 2026, brings together cities that have integrated tourism into urban planning, cultural development, digital innovation and investment promotion.
Shansonga said the engagement came at a critical time as Zambia pursued its ambition of attracting five million tourist arrivals by 2031.
“Zambia’s participation in the Global Tourism City Summit is an opportunity to position our country more prominently on the international tourism stage,” she said.
Shansonga said achieving the five million arrivals target would require diversified tourism products, stronger international marketing, increased private-sector investment and the development of destinations that encourage visitors to stay longer and spend more.
“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,” she said.
She noted that Zambia stood to benefit from international best practices in urban tourism development, destination branding, digital transformation and sustainable tourism management.
“These approaches could help strengthen the competitiveness of Zambia’s tourism destinations, expand business opportunities and create employment for local communities,” Shansonga said.
She said collaboration among national tourism authorities, local governments and the private sector was essential to unlocking Zambia’s tourism potential and driving long-term growth.
Shansonga said the agency would seek opportunities for joint destination marketing, knowledge exchange and tourism investment.
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Speaking upon arrival, Lusaka Mayor, Chitambala Mwewa, said his participation in the summit provided an opportunity to benchmark how leading international cities integrated tourism into urban planning and economic development.
“As Zambia’s capital and principal urban centre, Lusaka has significant potential to develop into a vibrant tourism cosmopolitan by harnessing its cultural diversity, hospitality, local cuisine, arts, entertainment and conference facilities,” Mwewa said.
He said learning from cities with established urban tourism strategies would help identify practical approaches to improving Lusaka’s attractiveness and enhancing the visitor experience.
Mwewa said collaboration among the Lusaka City Council, ZTA, the Government and the private sector would be critical to translating lessons from the summit into practical initiatives.
He said strengthening Lusaka’s tourism offering would complement Zambia’s established wildlife, adventure, cultural and nature-based attractions.
The Zambian delegation is led by the Lusaka mayor and includes other officials and representatives participating in the summit.
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