ZAMBIA AFRICA FESTIVAL PROPOSAL

Zambian Tourism Goals and the Current

State of Affairs

• The tourism sector has been recognized as one of the crucial industries for the Republic of Zambia.

• Tourism contributes to country’s growth and economy.

• Zambia’s Ministry of Tourism and Arts aims to ensure Zambia becomes one of the top five tourist destinations by 2030(2015 Tourism Statistical Digest, 2016).

• His Excellency the President of the Republic of Zambia, Dr. Edgar Chagwa Lungu has directed that tourism becomes the second contributor to Zambia’s GDP.

Tourism Opportunities

• Zambia is still falling short in numbers of annual tourists in comparison to some other neighboring counties despite yellow fever requirement removal and visas being issued at the point of entry.

• As per the latest figures for tourist arrivals reported in December of 2016, Zambia had 956,000 tourist arrivals, with an average of 689,500 people arriving in the period of 1995 through 2016 ( Zambia ZM: International Tourism: Number of Arrivals, 2016).

Zambia Tourism Vision

• The current Minster of Tourism and Arts Hon. Ronald Chitotela said he dreams to actualize the two million tourist arrivals by the end of 2020 (Lusaka Times, 2019).

• Furthermore, the Tourism minster states that there is a significant need to market Zambia’s tourism sector as this has potential to help grow the country’s economy (Lusaka Times, 2019).

• President Lungu indicated that, “tourism is a national priority for his government because of the power of the sector to create employments and wealth for the people” (Voyages Africa, 2019).

Zambia Africa Festival Proposal Purpose

• Despite the promising growth, Zambia is still below its other Southern African counterparts in the tourist numbers.

• This proposal aims to contribute to Zambian tourism target goals and create an annual event geared towards attracting significant numbers of millennial professionals living in the US to visit Zambia in the years to come.

PROPOSED EVENT OUTLINE

• Proposed Event Outline Name: Zambia -Africa Festival

• When: December 27th, 2020- January 3th 2021

• Who: Aspera Group Inc, in partnership with Gravel World, various US-based organizations in collaboration with the Zambian government, The Economics Association of Zambia, Bristol Consortium Limited, Zambian Ministry of Tourism and Arts, other Zambian governmental entities, and local sponsors.

PROPOSED EVENT OUTLINE

• How: Goal of approximate 10,000 + American tourists in Zambia by leveraging the country’s beauty, logistics of US-based organizations, and Zambian governmental resources as a result of a comprehensive joined marketing campaign and event organization.

• Event Sequence: Series of events throughout the country (Victoria Falls, National parks) with the main music, dance, and food festival event taking place in Lusaka.

ZAMBIA AFRICA FESTIVAL GOALS • The proposed festival is in line with the ambitions of New Tourism

Minister Hon Ronald Chitotela’ s mission to turn the tourism industry into a “money-spinner” for the entire country.

• Zambia does not lack resources and natural beauties in comparison to its neighbors.

• With Victoria Falls alone, Zambia has a significant advantage in comparison to some other neighboring countries.

• Zambia currently lacks a comprehensive tourist marketing campaign that will center on one particular festival that has the potential of attracting American millennial diaspora, which is a proven formula for success as per the similar events in other African regions

PROPOSAL GOALS

• The event will be supported and marketed by Aspera Group Inc., in collaboration with Gravel World LLC., Zambian Government, The Economics Association of Zambia, Bristol Consortium Limited, Zambian Ministry of Tourism and Arts, other Zambian governmental agencies, and local sponsors.

• The event’s goal is to become a recurring traditional festival that can attract tourists in many years to come.

• Zambia -African Festival is proposed as an annual event starting in 2020, which aims to position Zambia as a key tourist destination in the Southern African region with multiple events throughout the week, culminating with the festival itself to take place on Queens Land in Lusaka.

Event Details and

Collaboration Proposal

Gravel World LLC is an IATA certified travel company that specializes in group travel for millennials who are in pursuit of both fun travel experience and getting in touch with Zambian cultural heritage, rich tradition, and history.

Aspera Group Inc., in collaboration with Gravel World LLC, successfully runs a social media site with over 15,000 professional travelers, mainly located in the US, helping them organize group travel, discuss group travel destinations and share travel experiences.

These two companies aim to partner with the Economic Association of Zambia, Bristol Consortium Limited, Zambian Government, Zambian Ministry of Tourism and Arts, other Zambian governmental agencies and local sponsors in order to organize a comprehensive music, food and cultural festival in Zambia in 2020 which will consist of weeklong cultural and tourist events culminating with the one-day of central festival celebratory activities in Lusaka.

Target Market • The event’s target market is Lusaka for

the music and dance festival portion of the festivities, Victoria Falls and National parks (to be determined which ones) for safaris and tourist fun and adventure activities.

• The entire experience will expose tourists to a rich Zambian culture through history, music, food, & nature.

TARGET AUDIENCE

The first layer of the target audience will be US millennial

professionals with the potential of opening the target audience to different segments of travelers

from the US.

Main Elements of the Festival

• Three main locations : Lusaka (main event) and Livingstone and Samfya.

• Events will consist of the following:

National Park Tours

Village Tours (bonfires with locals at the Zambian villages).

Safaris

Discovering your heritage events including arts and crafts shows

Mine tours

African music concerts

African night life

TRIP OVERVIEW

• Arrival will take place at the Kenneth Kaunda International Airport in Lusaka.

• There are many different routes from US cities to Zambia.

• Some of the more popular ones are Emirates flights via Dubai to Luska or Delta flights via Johannesburg to Luska.

• Plenty of other routes to choose from fitting everyone’s preference and budget.

Trip Overview

• While each group may have a slightly different itinerary, the festival will generally start with travelers staying overnight in Lusaka and experiencing its rich night life.

• Next day, the travelers will go to Livingstone to experience the magnificent Victoria Falls or as locals call it “ The Smoke that Thunders” –this world wonder is a “must see” once in a lifetime experience.

Adventure Sports & Relaxing

Alternatives • There are plenty of opportunities for

adventure sports enthusiasts in Zambia: zip lining, white water rafting and bungee jumping included.

• For those into more relaxing activities Zambezi river cruise is also a great alternative.

• Exploring local cuisine and nightlife can be encouraged through local music parties organized in the Livingstone area.

Safari Experience/Animal

Encounters

• Tourists can pick and choose between different safari options.

• Some choices will be the traditional drive through safaris , elephant back, safaris, walk safaris or river safaris.

• Some other attractive activities will be walk with the lions or dine with elephants.

Traditional African Village,

Dance and Music

Experience

• Several festival events will provide travelers with the opportunity to get in touch with their ancestral roots and experience the traditional African village, music, dance, and food and participate in village festivities.

• Furthermore, at the same locations local artisans will display their crafts and arts showcasing the rich culture and heritage of Zambia.

• Having traditional African ceremonies, village bonfires and being able to get to know a rich African heritage will be quite attractive to the visitors.

• at the same locations local artisans will display their crafts and arts showcasing the rich culture and heritage of Zambia.

THE MAIN EVENT-MUSIC FESTIVAL IN LUSAKA

• The week-long festivities and fun-filled trip will culminate with the main music festival in Lusaka.

• This festival will attract not only overseas tourists, but many locals and music lovers from the neighboring countries, giving participants plenty of opportunities for cultural exchange and parties.

• Music stars from Africa and the rest of the world will be participating joined by some of the world –famous DJs.

• The festival will allow participants to indulge in the African vibe, dance and food.

BENEFITS FOR

ZAMBIA

The clear majority of Gravel World LLC and

Aspera Group Inc. travelers are millennial business

professionals.

The series of events would benefit Zambia through

the revenue stream tourism brings, and

through cultural exchanges and experiences, young Americans and young

Zambians will partake in as part of the festivities.

Regarding benefits for the group members, the

festival will ensure to get them more familiar with

the rich heritage and tradition of Zambia.

Also, the festival in Zambia will be able to increase the awareness of the ancestral history, allowing travelers to “walk in the ancestors’

footsteps” having a full appreciation for what they

went through.

BENEFITS FOR

ZAMBIA

Furthermore, these types of events will develop a sense of pride for both Zambians and their US counterparts through the celebration and experience of rich African culture, music, nature, and food. The goal is to create a new and unique connection between the two continents of people.

Hotels and lodges will be busy during the week-long events. Restaurants and clubs will experience increased business.

The revenue stream will boost Zambian tourism and contribute to its economy, bringing it closer to the country’s 2030 target tourism numbers.

The first festival should bring big media exposure to Zambia, especially considering the social media footprint millennials leave when they travel. That alone has the potential of creating an influx of tourism in the coming years from social media exposure and referrals alone in addition to the organized marketing campaign.

MARKETING CAMPAIGN

Gravel World LLC and Aspera Group Inc. have a wide-reaching marketing potential of advertising this event on their website, Facebook, Instagram, and other social media venues.

Gravel World LLC and Aspera Group Inc. will partner with other US-based travel, cultural, and other group organizations to promote this event.

The assistance in marketing, logistics, and infrastructure resources is needed by the Economic Association of Zambia, Bristol Consortium Limited, Zambian government, Zambian Ministry of Tourism, other applicable governmental organizations and local sponsors.

With resources, all above-mentioned organizations have at its disposal, the event can reach its target exposure ensuring the target audience gets quite familiar with this event and shares it with their family and friends referring them to the next event.

REFERENCES • Zambia ZM: International Tourism: Number of Arrivals (2016). Retrieved from https://www.ceicdata.com/en/zambia/tourism-statistics

• Zambia's arrival stats growing in 2018 (2018). Retrieved from http://www.tourismupdate.co.za/article/183869/Zambia-arrival-stats-growing-in-2018.

• 2015 Tourism Statistical Digest (2016). Retrieved from https://www.mota.gov.zm/?wpfb_dl=65

• President of Zambia commits to sustainable tourism promotion (2019). Retrieved from https://voyagesafriq.com/2019/07/29/president-of-zambia-commits-to-sustainable-tourism-promotion/.

• Chitotela pledges to build on the success of predecessors in Ministry of Tourism (2019). Lusaka Times. https://www.lusakatimes.com/2019/08/07/chitotela-pledges-to-build-on-the-success-of-predecessors-in-ministry-of-tourism/