Cholera no threat to tourist arrivals, Banda

 Tourism and Arts Minister Charles Romeo Banda

By NDUBI MVULA, Lusaka

MINISTER of Tourism and Arts Charles Banda has assured that the cholera outbreak was not a threat to tourist arrivals as Government through the Ministry of Health has put adequate measures in place to combat the scourge.

That assurance came timely as the tourism sector is a very sensitive sector that reacts quickly to any negative reports or developments.

Mr. Banda in his latest assurance has gone further to state that Lusaka is once more viable as a tourism product worth visiting following the cleanup campaign.

“The city of Lusaka which looked like a village within a city is looking very clean and there is a lot room to manoeuvre. Lusaka is a very attractive city and with the works done by Ministry of Health, Ministry of Defence and Ministry of Local Government is highly commendable,” he says.

He was speaking when he toured the Central Business District (CBD) this week to acquaint himself with the cleaning works that are being carried out in the capital city following President Edgar Lungu’s directives to fight the cholera outbreak through cleaning the city.

Lusaka with an estimated population of approximately 1.743 million as per October 2009 census, boasts of having a good share of attractive tourism sites.

The capital City is home to tourism sites of international repute such as the resting place for one former and two late Presidents, Frederick Chiluba (1943–2011), Levy Mwanawasa (1948–2008) and Michael Sata (1937–2014), the Embassy Park, as well as the Oliver Tambo house on Great East road in Avondale.

Others are the Kaunda Chilenje house, Chinyunyu hot spring, Lusaka National Museum, Parliament Building, former Lusaka Boys School now housing the National Heritage Conservation Commission (NHCC) headquarters, Lusaka National Park and the Munda Wanga Botanical Gardens just to list a few.

There is also the vintage site of art, the Kabwata Culture Centre, Kalimba Reptile Park, Chaminuka Game Reserve, Freedom Statue, the Henry Tayali Visual Arts Centre, Lusaka Play House, and Namwandwe Gallery passionately described as the hands-down and the best in the country for contemporary Zambian art.

Mr. Banda said the city is looking very attractive and good enough for any tourist to stay and enjoy their being in Lusaka.

He has since commended President Lungu for the initiative to clean the city adding that it has returned its actual position of cleanliness.

Mr. Banda said the overcrowding and the unregulated street vending made Lusaka appear like a village in city but is glad that now with the cleaning up and clearing of garbage the City is regaining its Garden City status.

He said there is now room for everyone to manoeuvre in town unlike during the congestion that was in shop corridors that created some negativity about the City.

A visibly excited Mr. Banda conducted an on-the-spot check on Pick N Pay mall situated at Society Business Park where he urged staff to continue maintaining a clean environment as it was a source of food for many people that visit Lusaka including foreign and domestic tourists.

Mr. Banda said it will be a very important to sustain the cleanliness even after the Ministry of Health would have declared Lusaka a cholera free zone because in so far as tourism is concerned, a clean environment enables the sector to thrive.

Tourism by nature thrives on a clean environment and government’s move towards the prioritisation of a clean and safe environment just catapults the massive gains that will be accrued from the sector.