ZAMBIA EXHIBITS AT NEITHERLANDS TOURISM EXHIBITION

Zambia's Ambassador to Belgium, Netherlands and the European Union, Dr. Inonge Mbikusita-Lewanika is in Utrecht, Netherlands to spearhead Zambia's performance at this year's Vakantiebeurs tourism exhibition.

The exhibition is the biggest annual Dutch tourism and travel exhibition which attracts more than 160, 000 tourism consumers, Trade and Industry and travel journalists over a one-week period.

Dr. Mbikusita-Lewanika is gracing the event on top of a Zambia Tourism Board (ZTB) delegation which has exhibited at the Vakantiebeurs for the last 10 years under unbroken sponsorship of the Dutch Centre for the Promotion of imports from developing countries (CBI), an agency of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

This is according to a statement made available to ZANIS by First Secretary for Press at the Zambian mission in Brussels Samuel Ngoma.

The Statement explained that it was at this exhibition that European tour operators learnt about Zambia's massive tourist attractions adding that Zambia has since grown in the Dutch market since the inception of the CBI sponsorship.

He said the number of Dutch Outbound Tour Operators with tour programmes to Zambia has grown from less than 10 to over 30 in the past three years.

The Statement further noted that Zambia's tourism has been a constant feature in an annual travel documentary on the Dutch National Television.

Tourism stakeholders from the private sector participating in the exhibition include Mukambi Safari Lodge, United Touring Company and Leopard Lodge who were all buoyed by Ambassador's Mbikusita-Lewanika's encouraging presence at the world Dutch exhibition.

And ZTB Spokesperson at the exhibition, Ms. Doris Kofi announced that after a decade, the Dutch sponsorship would be the last one this year and it was now up to Zambia to brace for self-sponsorship and continued participation at the exhibition in 2012 and beyond.