Zambia records tourism boom, as Musokotwane highlights citizens empowerment programmes

Zambia’s international tourist arrivals in 2024 reached 2.2 million, up from 1.1 million in 2022, representing an increase of 1.1 million visitors, authorities have revealed.

Finance and National Development Planning Minister, Dr. Situmbeko Musokotwane, said the improvement reflected the bold measures the government took to revive the sector after the devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Presenting the 2026 national budget in Parliament on Friday in Lusaka, Musokotwane said the key interventions included stronger international marketing and visa waivers for the country’s most important markets.

“Madam, domestic tourism has also flourished. As at end 2024, we recorded 530,110 visits to our waterfalls, national parks, museums, and heritage sites compared to 312,195 in 2022,” he said.

Musokotwane announced that hotel occupancy had also improved, with Livingstone hotels reporting 70 percent occupancy, up from 40 percent pre-2023.

He said the average length of stay had increased to five days from three days pre-2024, signalling greater appreciation of the country’s diverse tourism offerings.

The minister further revealed that the government intended to allocate about K1.5 billion to the tourism sector in the 2026 national budget.

“The New Dawn Administration has empowered over 103,000 individuals and about 9,800 micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) with a total amount of K2.9 billion,” he added.

Regarding the Citizens Economic Empowerment Fund, Musokotwane said the government had empowered more than 83,000 beneficiaries over the last four years through programmes such as the Marketeer Booster, Busulu, Irrigation Support and Agriculture Mechanisation, as well as Project and Trade Finance loans.

The minister highlighted government’s efforts to address challenges faced by SMEs and farmers in accessing affordable finance. “As at end-August 2025, a total of 19,819 SMEs and farmers had benefited from the Zambia Credit Guarantee Scheme compared to only 18 in 2021,” he said, adding that the total value of loans facilitated now stands at K1.6 billion, up from K10.0 million in 2021.

He cited practical examples of impact, saying, “Through these programmes, a marketeer at Chisokone market in Kitwe has sent a child to university, a youth in Lundazi has opened a kantemba, and a small business firm in Lusaka has scaled up their operations.

“These programmes are touching and improving the livelihoods of our people in practical ways.”

Musokotwane emphasised that the government was not only empowering citizens economically but also building the capacity of local businesses to compete fairly, retain wealth within communities, and contribute to national industrialisation.

“To this effect, Government issued Statutory Instrument No. 45 of 2025 to give preference to small and medium enterprises in public procurement,” he said.

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