Zambia's Safari Awards

The safari awards include:

- “Best Southern African Country”
- No 10 in Long-haul Destinations!
- Africa's No 1 Emerging Destination!

Zambia has received numerous safari awards …all in one year!

Africa's No 1 destination
The World Tourism Organisation (WTO) has ranked Zambia as Africa's number one emerging tourist destination. All Africa Report No 10 ranking in Long-haul Destinations
The UK 2004 Trends and Spends Survey has awarded Zambia the No 10 ranking in the "best long-haul destinations" in their recent international survey ( Cape Times, June 23 2004 ). Besides South Africa (with Cape Town as the world’s No 1), Zambia was the only other African country in the top ten ranking. The UK 2004 Trends and Spends Survey is based on research among planners of (business) meetings and incentive travel throughout the UK. Long-haul travel represents 27% of the travel market.

Zambia clinches ATA Presidency
The Minister of Tourism Environment and Natural Resources, Patrick Kalifungwa was elected President of the Africa Travel Association (ATA) during its 29th annual congress held in Doula, Cameroun (May 2-7, 2004). ATA is an Afro/American association that promotes travel from North America to Africa.

Zambia received a safari award at INDABA
Zambia received the award the “Best Southern African Country” at the Indaba Tourism Exhibition (May 8-11, 2004). INDABA is Africa’s largest tourism exhibition held annually and attracts more than 5,000 international travel trade and media from all over the world. The award was based on excellent product knowledge, design, and special effects among other things. Zambia beat 9 other contestants including Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mauritius and Mozambique.

Visit Zambia in 2005 Campaign
The Minister of Tourism, Environment and Natural Resources, Patrick Kalifungwa officially launched the Visit Zambia 2005 Campaign at a media breakfast held on Friday May 21, 2004 at the Taj Pamodzi Hotel. The campaign is focusing on the two major anniversaries in 2005 – the 100 years of the Livingstone city and 150 years of the Victoria Falls since Scottish Missionary Dr David Livingstone sighted the magnificent waterfalls. The safari awards recieved so far confirm that Zambia is the new tourist destination of choice.

Why does Zambia continue to win safari awards?

The Friendly People
The ever smiling and warm-hearted people have inspired praises from many a tourist who has had the good judgment to visit here.

The Victoria Falls
The Victoria Falls has captivated many a tourist that has had an opportunity to behold the natural wonder. Dr Livingstone, a Scottish Missionary on seeing this magnificent scenic beauty he later named after the Queen of England, he could not resist writing in his dairy, “SCENES so lovely must have been gazed upon by angels in their flight.”

That was Dr David Livingstone’s summation of the scene he beheld in 1855 the first time he saw the ‘Smoke that Thunders’ as the local people called it.

He was not the only one to make a profound statement on the Victoria Falls. In 1881, E. Holub said; “Truly it is a scene in which a man may well become aware of his own insignificance.”

However, not to be outperformed, F.C. Selous’ description in 1881 was, “…Such are the Victoria Falls - One of, if not the most transcendentally beautiful natural phenomenon on this side of Paradise"

Theme-based Accommodations
Allen Harkness, the chairman of Livingstone Tourism Association (LTA) says that, "tourism in Zambia has beaten the tourism of the neighboring Zimbabwe. Today, Zambia is recognized as the world-class tourist destination. This is in recognition of fact that British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has designated two hotels, The Royal Livingstone Hotel in Mosi-oa-Tunya Game Park and the Sausage Tree in Lower Zambezi game park as leading world-class luxury destinations.

In addition Tongabezi, also in Mosi-oa-Tunya Game Park, has won 5 awards from the United Kingdom and the United Sates of America as the most unique destinations in the world. The book ”One of the Places You Should See Before You Die” has featured all three hotels; The Royal Livingstone, Sausage Tree and Tongabezi."

Teeming wildlife in parks
Arguably Zambia is considered as having one of the largest concentrations of wildlife in the world. Ornithologically speaking, a whopping 741 bird species have been recorded so far! It’s a birders' paradise!

Of the 19 national parks . Kafue is one of Africa's largest, a huge 22,500 square kilometers. It is jam-packed with lots of game including carnivores and herbivores, and of course bird life.

Unspoiled wilderness
Being a large country the size of Texas in America Zambia is mostly undeveloped with large tracks of land. So the wilderness is unspoiled and the habitat for wildlife is natural

Zambia will continue to win safari awards because of the friendly people, the profusion of wildlife and the world heritage site, the Victoria Falls, which is happily at home in Zambia. Come to Zambia and you'll see why the country deserve the safari awards.