During the 1960s, many African nations became independent of their Colonial rulers. Zambia achieved independence from Britain on 24 October 1964. Following neighbouring East African countries, Zambia saw tourism as a potential foreign-currency earner and an industry that could bring a significant income to the country’s remoter regions. This was supported by the United Nations Economic Survey Mission that recommended tourism as a foreign exchange earner.
However, the country lacked a central hotel of international standards and airline facilities. Further woes were added by Rhodesia’s Unilateral Declaration of Independence on 11 November 1965. What was seen as an illegal independence saw a significant decline in American, European and British tourists to Zambia.
In the same year, the Minister of Tourism, Dr. D. L. Konoso, outlined plans for the development of tourism in Zambia (which was exceeding 100,000 visitors per year) and the Zambia National Tourist Bureau was established.
The slogan Zambia in the Sun was used to promote the country in offices in Nairobi, New York, Frankfurt, Rome and London. Through these efforts, Zambia began receiving 50% more tourists in 1966 than when they were under British rule. From 1967, international tourists arrived in the country via the newly constructed international airport at Lusaka.
By 1968, substantial progress had been made in creating new facilities at game parks and other tourist attractions. In Luangwa Valley and Kasaba Bay, facilities were established to allow visitors to safely view large game on foot due to skilled Zambian guides.
Two new hotels were opened at Victoria Falls and Lusaka by Pan American Airways, co-financed by the Industrial Development Corporation. A 100 bed lodge was built as Nondo Head on Kasaba Bay in addition to the expansion of lodges at Luangwa and Kafue Parks, and roads and airfields were improved to assist the transportation of visitors.
However, the industry suffered a major slump and in 1969, an estimated 6,000 tourists only visited the country.
In 1969 and 1970, the Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation ran two, four week workshops, some of the first of their kind anywhere, to help equip African officials charged with building tourism sectors. The foundation hosted civil servants from across Africa, and particularly East Africa, which was seen as an emerging international tourist hotspot. The 1960s had been the ‘decade of development’ and tourism was seen by many to have a part to play.
The United Nations (UN) christened 1969 the International Year of Tourism, and its catchy
tagline ‘Passport to Peace’ reflected the optimism that tourism fostered greater understanding among peoples. However, the UN was not equipped to advise on how these new African countries might manage and leverage the sector. Until the UN’s World Tourism Organisation emerged in 1974, sector expertise was largely split across a number of UN bodies, including the Economic and Social Commission, UN Development Programme and the UN’s International Civil Aviation Organisation.
When the seminar ended in September 1969, it received overwhelmingly positive feedback but one criticism was that the negative impacts of tourism weren’t addressed.
Topic Index
- Businesses
- Hotels, Clubs & Accommodation
- Postcards/Lettercards/Letter Folders
- Stamps and Postal Products (1964-1969)
- Stamp Designers
- Things To Do
References
- 50 Years Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation – Edited by Henning Melber
- African World (1965)
- Annual Report – Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and National Parks (1966)
- Annual Report of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Mines (1965) · Area Handbook for Zambia – Google Books
- New Commonwealth Volume 44, Issues 1-12 (1966) · Wikipedia: Tourism in Africa
