The ministry of tourism has underscored its dedication to construct eco-friendly accommodation at the Kasungu National Park to promote domestic tourism in the country.
This comes at a time as Malawi joins the entire world in commemorating Tourism Month under the theme “TOURISM AND PEACE”.
Public Relations officer in the Ministry of Tourism Joseph Nkosi says Kasungu National Park is a beautiful wildlife haven, established around 1970’s and remains the country’s tourism treasure, a popular destination for domestic and international tourists.
Nkosi has said that it is the ministry’s vision to create a conducive environment for guests to enjoy.
He adds: “However, the proposed amenities to construct a natural blended eco-lodge structures within the national park that will be able to offer a tranquil and eco-friendly environment for travellers to experience, well-maintained roads for seamless transport and convenience to make it a world class destination for tourists.
“We are particularly proud of the role that our ministry is playing in spearheading initiatives that promote tourism, job creation and economic development.”
Apart from this, he shared that currently, the ministry has also lined up a number of interventions to make it the most accessible and popular tourist destination in Africa and beyond.
He has said that an installation of the post and chain fencing around the National Park is in progress to, among other things, end human and wildlife conflict and minimise poaching.
“We are also conducting community engagements to meet the needs of the people surrounding the national park and find solutions to the challenges facing the tourism industry in the country,” said Nkosi.
Among other things, he said in 2022, through the department of Wildlife and National Parks they also translocated an additional 250 elephants, 80 buffaloes and 120 impalas from Liwonde National Park to provide tourists a chance to see these creatures in their national habitat.
“We are confident that Kasungu National Park will continue to excel in showcasing the beauty and cultural richness of our country and be recognised among the best in the world. Apart from elephants, Buffaloes and Impalas, we also have an abundance of wildlife including antelopes, leopards, jackals, just to mention a few,” he said.
However, he has emphasised on the need for Malawians to take part in various local tourism events such as visiting any tourist attractions, including art shows, lodges, hiking, cultural performances and many more as this will give an increase in revenue collection for businesses in the hospitality and service sectors thereby providing additional profit to the ministry.
“When it comes to tourism promotion, it should start with us so that together we realise its full tourism potential. On top of this, we should also be on top of the class to speak positively about our country despite facing numerous challenges because there will be nobody who will come from outside the country and speak the truth about Malawi except Malawians themselves,” he said.
Globally, tourism month will be observed on 27 September while tourism Day was established in 1980 to promote global cultural exchange, economic development and sustainable travel.
