By DOROTHY CHISI-
ZAMBIA is renowned for being home to the Victoria Falls, which is one of the Seven Wonders of the World.
But although the country has some of the richest tourism sites and destinations on earth, few Zambians have had access to these sites.
The high cost of enjoying these sites, in addition to other expenses associated with accommodation and transportation, have often prevented local people from visiting tourism sites.
Most tourist attractions are archaeological, geological, historical, natural or traditional.
But how many local tourists, as compared to international tourists, have had access to these heritage sites?
According to the National Heritage Conservation Commission (NHCC), the recent Easter holiday, for example, recorded a 15.9 per cent increase in Zambian visitors to the Victoria Falls while the number of non-Zambians increased by 18.5 per cent.
NHCC Information and Public Relations Officer Isaac Kanguya said in 2016, there were 64,856 tourists, out of which 769 where Zambian adults and 50 were local children.

• Victoria Falls in Livingstone.

The bulk of the tourists, 4,963 to be precise, were non-Zambian adults, of which 704 were non-local children.
Besides the legendary Victoria Falls, Zambia boasts of national game parks, national monuments and traditional ceremonies, among the many attractions.
While some tourists visit the country from outside to view such wonders, one wonders what has made it difficult for local tourists to access these facilities.
However, as earlier alluded to, lack of adequate financial muscle could be keeping local people from enjoying tourism.
For example, going to Livingstone – which is also known as Zambia’s tourism capital city –or any other tourist destination in the country, requires one to be financially prepared as travel and related logistics require considerable spending.
But with 54.4 per cent of the population living below the poverty line, one would be inclined to wonder whether an average local person can manage to afford to enjoy tourism, which may be seen to be a luxury rather than a necessity.
Exorbitant costs ranging from hotel charges to viewing fees are some of the much-talked about hindrances for local tourists.
As if this is the only obstacle, some tour operators go to the extent of converting hotel and site viewing rates into foreign currency despite the practice being banned by the Government.
Nevertheless, recently, President Edgar Lungu called on local people to take interest in understanding the meaning and importance of national symbols and monuments which, to a large extent, constitute some of the finest tourism attraction sites in the world.
Monuments, such as the Freedom Statue, are great and historical artworks that should inspire people to ask about who created them and why.
The meaning behind such an exquisite artwork like the Freedom Statue should not only bring pride but also make foreign travellers want to enjoy seeing it.
Parliament building is yet another symbolic institution in the country which not only represents a place where the country’s laws are made.
The Parliament building is also an artistic piece of creation that is a story unto itself.
It is said that builders of the Parliament building wanted to show that Zambia is a copper rich country.
To do that, they installed copperplates on the building to give it the shiny reddish brown or copper colour.
It is said when viewed at an angle at sunrise or sunset, the Parliament building glows because of the copperplates.
How about the buildings at Cabinet office?
Few people know that part of the Cabinet office building complex was built from bricks created from stabilised soil and not the conventional cement blocks and mortar.
In fact, a few years ago, the Technology Development and Advisory Unit (TDAU) at the University of Zambia (UNZA) created a contraption that could produce bricks from stabilised soil.
The aim of the machine was to turn ordinary soil into a cost-effective building material that could be used in construction.
Such technology was meant to cut construction costs by up to 70 per cent.
This is the background to some of the interesting monuments and iconic structures which have the ability to attract tourists in much the same way thousands of tourists visit the White House in the United States of America (USA) because of its symbolic value.
However, many Zambians living in the vicinity of some of the tourist sites share the frustration of being equally affected by the exorbitant entry and viewing charges which deny them access to the facilities.
In as much as promotion of investment in the tourism sector has been key, not much has been done to see to it that the local citizens have access to the sites.
Looking at the rates obtaining in the various sites where tourism services and products may be enjoyed, one can tell that such rates are rarely targeted at the local tourist but the international clientele who has the capacity to pay.
However, Livingstone Tourism Association Chairperson Alexander Mutali said the rates for the local tourists are lower compared to the foreign tourists.
He said the disparity was meant to spur growth in domestic tourism.
He said for example, local tourists pay only K25 as the viewing rate compared to the K200 which foreign tourists pay.
“You know, we are really doing a lot in order to let the local people enjoy the tourist attraction sites. Accommodation for the foreign tourists is at K800 while for the locals, it’s K450.
However, Mr Mutali said while tour operators were being pressured to charge user friendly rates, local people were the ones who exaggerated by pegging prices of accommodation and accompanying services during traditional ceremonies.
The 2017 Nc’wala traditional ceremony was a case in point where accommodation charges were hiked by more than K300 per cent.
Hotels, lodges and guest houses throughout Chipata hiked accommodation fees, making it difficult for people visiting the city to celebrate the ceremony.
The situation was the same for the Kuomboka traditional ceremony where most lodges and hotels in Mongu were hiked form an average of K150 to K800 and above.
Both cases generated concerns that those hiking charges would make traditional ceremonies unpopular in future.
Mr Mutali further said the holiday period is considered to be the peak period for the local people to travel to tourism sites.
He said during the periods of Easter and Labour Day, business was generally good for the tourist capital.
Government, working with stakeholders, who include tour operators, has successfully managed to create a dual pricing system that is favourable towards domestic tourists.
This leaves local people with no excuse but to start taking pride in enjoying what Zambia has to offer.
It must be realised that local people can be the best tourism marketing agents.
In this regard, President Lungu’s call for Zambians to take keen interest in the country’s national heritage sites and national monuments to relax, be entertained and educated should not go unheeded.