LUSAKA, April 20 (Xinhua) -- The Zambian government has called for unity among African countries in promoting the tourism industry, a senior official said on Thursday.
The African continent needed to work together in order to boost tourist arrivals, Tourism and Arts Minister Charles Banda said.
He said this at the 59th United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Commission for Africa High-Level Meeting on Chinese Outbound Tourism to Africa held in Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital, according to a statement released by the Zambian Embassy in that country.
According to the Zambian minister, it was unacceptable that Africa only attracted five percent of global tourist arrivals.
Africa should work together to make the continent a tourist destination of choice because it was endowed with unique tourist sites and cultural events as compared to other countries, he added.
He further said competition among African countries for tourist arrivals was working against the continent and called for the harmonization of policies and strategies to facilitate for easy transfer of tourists among the countries.
