Lusaka - Zambia has been identified as a key holiday destination for the year 2008 by a British daily newspaper, the Telegraph.
This is according to Zambia's Acting High Commissioner to Britain, Eunice Luambia, who says the recognition is firm testimony of the efforts that have been made by the Zambia National Tourist Board (ZNTB) and the travel industry in creating awareness on Zambia as a top tourist destination.

A press statement from Ms Luambia on Tuesday said that the newspaper had identified Zambia as a holiday destination in an article titled ''Holiday hotspots'' on where to go on holiday in 2008.

Ms Luambia said the Zambian government would ensure that the ZNTB continued to pursue and exploit opportunities for the promotion of Zambian tourism in all source markets.

She said the excellent and diverse tourism products and high service levels in Zambia had left a mark of distinction among travellers and the media.

Ms Luambia added that according to the World Tourism Organisation (WTO), international tourism would triple in the next 20 years while international arrivals were expected to rise from 700 million to 1.6 billion by the year 2020.

The WTO says tourism accounts for 10 percent of the global Gross Domestic Product.

Zambia is bordered by Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Zimbabwe, Tanzania and Namibia among other countries. The mineral rich country exports mostly copper and electricity; tobacco, flowers and cotton. – BuaNews-NNN