As in the case of many countries around the world, tourism is of prime importance for Zambia. According to the Zambian authorities, the country needs to make optimal use of its natural assets, including Victoria Falls, and advertise itself to all major markets outside and inside Africa.
For the vast majority of non-Africans, including many from the continent itself, Zambia is just one of the unknown wildernesses, to be confused with states with similar names. Rupiah Banda, the president of Zambia, has recently stated that this attitude must change. According to him, Zambia must promote its tourism industry and take full advantage of the natural gifts it has. Although Victoria Falls are as close to Zimbabwe as they could possibly be without being in the neighboring country, the Zambians consider this one of the seven natural wonders of the modern world to be their own.
Zambia is also a heaven for anglers. Zambezi River and Lake Kariba provide fishing opportunities, which many other African countries and certainly European ones may only dream of. Roads are continually being improved in order to make the stay of foreign visitors in Zambia a lot more pleasant. Logically, the more money is plunged into Zambian tourism, the more enjoyable trips to the country are likely to be. Mr. Banda has already stated that Victoria Falls must be the starting point for the campaign as they are an asset every tourist should see.
Zambia has always had the disadvantage of not only being relatively unknown, but also of being far away. Tourists based in either Zimbabwe or South Africa often visit it. However, the Zambians wish for the situation to change. They would prefer the tourists to fly directly to their country. The project has already started as a new flight has been launched between Lusaka and Istanbul, which will hopefully bring a mass of rich Middle Eastern tourists to Zambia.