Zambian Tourism Minister Kabinga Mpande said here Saturday that priority has been given to operators in rural areas to access tourism funds under his ministry.

He said the tourism funds range between 50 million kwacha (over 10,000 U.S. dollars) and 300 million kwacha and that operators should take keen interest to apply for the funds.

The minister called on the tourism operators in Western Province to fully explore the tourism industry there.

Mpande said that the province has a lot of tourism potential which if well utilized could boost the country's economy.

He said that his ministry has put in place a favorable business environment for tourism and that it is up to the operators to uplift the industry.

Mpande urged the operators to look at long term business plans as opposed to the short term, if they are to realize enough profits.

He urged the tourism operators to engage professionals and invest in their staff by holding training workshops to improve their service delivery to attract tourists.

Mpande asked the tourism operators in the province to help his ministry fight corruption by spear heading the anti corruption campaign in the tourism industry.

Source: Xinhua