Zambian Tourism Body Calls for Review of Visa Fees

The Zambia Tourist Board (ZTB) chairman, Errol Hickey, on Friday asked the government to review its recently increased visa fees for tourists, saying that there was an urgent need to review the charges, otherwise the country would lose out on the number of tourists visiting the country.

He told journalists Friday that although the country received the largest number of tourists from South Africa, who did not need visas, it also received tourists from countries like the United States of America, the United Kingdom and other countries.

He said it was such categories of visitors that have been affected by the new visa fees as they would be required to pay more.

The government recently increased visa fees from US$25 to US$50 for single entry and from US$40 to US$80 for multiple entry visas.

Hickey, however, said these rates would make the country un-competitive in comparison to neighboring countries that do not require visa fees for tourists.

The ZTB is predicting one million tourists this year up from 850,000 last year, but said this may not be attained with the high visa fees.

Source African Press Agency

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