Government is pairing domestic tourism promotion with an investment drive intended to turn interest in Zambia’s destinations into travel, spending and jobs.
By The Zambian Economist Analyst
Key Takeaways
- Government says it has stepped up measures to attract more investment into Zambia’s tourism sector.
- Tourism Permanent Secretary Evans Muhanga wants destination awareness converted into travel, spending and jobs.
- Stronger domestic tourism could raise demand for accommodation and cultural experiences while opening business opportunities in host communities.
- The Zambia Tourism Agency says Take a Holiday Yamu Loko is intended to make local travel a more regular part of Zambian life.
The Zambian Government says it is seeking more private investment in tourism as part of its plan to diversify the economy and create jobs. The immediate focus is domestic travel: getting more Zambians to visit local destinations and spend across the tourism value chain.
Tourism Permanent Secretary Evans Muhanga made the remarks at the premiere of the Holiday Yamu Loko television series. He said the initiative is meant to increase travel and spending, with stronger local demand supporting accommodation providers, cultural experiences and businesses in tourism communities.
Government wants visibility to become spending
Tourism promotion often succeeds at the awareness stage but fails to produce bookings. Muhanga’s message was that destination visibility must lead to actual travel and expenditure.
That matters because a local holiday distributes money across several businesses. A trip can generate income for lodges, restaurants, transport providers, guides, craft traders and cultural attractions. For communities near tourism sites, the economic value depends on how much of that spending stays local.
Government has already set ambitious targets for the sector. In June 2026, it said Zambia was aiming for 2.5 million international arrivals and US$1 billion in tourism revenue by year-end. The investment push now puts attention on the capacity needed to serve that growth, from accommodation and transport links to visitor experiences.
Holiday Yamu Loko moves to television
Zambia Tourism Agency Vice Board Chairperson George Kaumba said the Take a Holiday Yamu Loko campaign is intended to make local tourism a greater part of everyday life.
The television series gives the campaign a wider storytelling platform. Its commercial test will be whether viewers can move easily from seeing a destination on screen to finding prices, transport, accommodation and bookable activities.
Where businesses could find opportunity
The announcement points to opportunities across the domestic tourism chain. Accommodation operators could benefit from more local bookings, while community enterprises may find demand for food, crafts, guiding and cultural experiences.
Investors will still weigh access, power, connectivity, pricing and the reliability of visitor demand. Marketing can bring a destination to public attention, but repeat travel depends on an experience that is affordable and easy to book.
What is Take a Holiday Yamu Loko?
Take a Holiday Yamu Loko is a domestic tourism campaign led by the Zambia Tourism Agency. It encourages Zambians to explore destinations within the country and directs more tourism spending towards local operators and communities.
Related reading
Read our earlier analysis, Zambia Wants a Billion-Dollar Tourism Industry, and visit our Business & Economy hub. Investors can also consult our Doing Business in Zambia guide and upcoming events.
For readers: What would make you take more holidays within Zambia: lower prices, better transport, clearer information or more packaged deals?
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