ZAMBIAN GOVERNMENT STANDING IDLE AS LIVNGSTONE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 LUSAKA 000207 SIPDIS E.O. 1958: DECL: 03/24/2019 TAGS: ECON EIND PGOV ZA SUBJECT: ZAMBIAN GOVERNMENT STANDING IDLE AS LIVNGSTONE TOURISM SECTOR FLOUNDERS LUSAKA 00000207 001.2 OF 002 Classified By: Ambassador Booth for reasons 1.4 (b) & (d) ¶1. (C) SUMMAR AND COMMENT Despite its location onthe Zambian side of Victoria Falls, one of the ntural wonders of the world, Livingstone has seena dramatic reduction in tourists. This was a majr topic during the Ambassador's first oficial trip to the Southern Province's capital city. Despite professed interest in the tourism sector by the Zambian Government (GRZ),there seems to be a disconnect between GRZ officials' understanding of both the current state of the sector and the full benefits of tourism in general. While GRZ officials spoke of the healthy state of tourism, tour operators complained of a large drop-off in business, job cuts, and the GRZ's seeming indifference. The main road from Lusaka to Livingstone remains in horrible condition, and the closure of Zambian Airways has reduced daily domestic flights to Livingstone to two 18-seat planes instead of the Zambian Airways B-737. The GRZ solution, at least in Livingstone, seems to be to sit and wait for donors to come fix the problems. This lack of imagination, though, seems to be having a negative effect in Livingstone. Meanwhile, the Zambezi River is extremely full and expected to reach levels that may be 40-year highs. However, the GRZ again seems to be watching idly, assured--somehow--that everything will work out fine. Many high-end resort owners, on the other hand, find their properties literally and figuratively under water END SUMMARY AND COMMENT GOVERNMENT OF ZAMBIA: DON'T WORRY, BE HAPPY ¶2. (C) On his first official visit to Livingstone, planned around the handover of a PEPFAR-funded pediatric clinic to Livingstone General Hospital, the Ambassador took the opportunity to meet with GRZ officials, local tour operators, private sector beneficiaries of USG programs, and also pay a visit to the very congested border post at Kazungula, where a ferry connects Zambia with Botswana. Despite different settings, the common theme emerged that while many in private sector are seeing red flags in a number of areas, the GRZ does not seem overly concerned. ¶3. (C) During a courtesy call with Provincial Minister Daniel Munkombwe, Munkombwe offered only a rosy assessment of Southern Province and simplistic responses to the Ambassador's questions. It was unclear whether he lacked understanding of the issues, or whether he had little inclination for such an exchange. He maintained it would be a good year for crops, dismissing local fears that flooding and the unusually heavy late rains might damage the harvest. Likewise, he proclaimed the tourism sector to be "okay." Despite empirical evidence that suggests otherwise, Munkombwe insisted that a fall-off in tourism "hasn't been so felt" in Livingstone, suggesting instead that "business people are never satisfied." When asked by the Ambassador about the state of the road to Livingstone, Munkombwe assured him that the Chinese were currently working on 30 km of the road, which left 47 km for "investors who must come in." ¶4. (C) The Minister acknowledged that farmers were struggling in the Southern Province and that, while the province was "once the grain basket of the country," droughts and floods had relegated it to a lower position. Despite the presence of the fourth largest river in Africa, many people who live just a kilometer away from the Zambezi often watch their crops die for lack of water. However, Munkombwe made it clear that such problems could be mitigated with more outside investment. When asked about HIV rates in Livingstone, which are twice the national average, Munkombwe offered no insights, only that he had "yet to be briefed on the accuracy of the figures." Adding to his calm assessment of the area, Munkombwe also did not seem to think that the crisis in Zimbabwe has had a great impact in Livingstone either positively (tourists going to Zambia to see the falls) or negatively (illegal immigration and an increase in cholera cases). ¶5. (C) A separate lunch with Livingstone's Mayoress Grace Shafik, who had sat in on the call with Munkombwe, only served to reiterate many of these points. Shafik also assured the Ambassador that the tourism sector was fine. Interestingly, at the same time, she admitted that once Zimbabwe was more stable, many Zambian tour operators would likely leave the country. Despite the fact that the Southern Province voted overwhelmingly for opposition UPND in the 2008 election, Livingstone is an island of ruling party (MMD) control, and the Mayoress seems to be President Banda's most vocal supporter. Time and time again, during the course of the lunch, the topic drifted from issues on the ground in Livingstone to the many attributes of Banda. TOURISM OPERATORS: MANY REASONS TO WORRY LUSAKA 00000207 002.2 OF 002 ¶6. (SBU) Local business owners paint a dramatically different picture. During a free-flowing 90 minute discussion with 20 local tour operators, the Ambassador was told repeatedly that while the GRZ had proclaimed tourism a priority area, GRZ actions (or, at times, inaction) sent just the opposite message. The tour operators, who were represented by a spectrum, from high-end luxury hotels and adventure tourism operators, to backpacker venues, all contend that business in 2009 is down-as much as 50 percent from last year. While the operators understand that the global financial crisis has played a negative role to play, they also point to a series of GRZ issues which, they maintain, suggest that the GRZ has no will to support tourism. Many highlighted excessive bureaucracy and unrealistic systems. ¶7. (SBU) Some tour operators claimed the GRZ lacks understanding about Zambia's tourism potential. One asserted that Minister for Tourism, Catherine Namagala, visited Livingstone in early March 2009, for the first time in her life--an unconfirmed example of how out of touch the GRZ is about Livingstone issues. This is manifested in a lack of planning and many missed opportunities when it comes to attracting tourists. For example, neighboring countries Botswana and Namibia (and apparently Zimbabwe, soon) have waived visa requirements for tourists visiting their countries. Likewise, the crisis in Zimbabwe, which shares Victoria Falls with Zambia, has given Zambia nearly a decade to court investors and appeal to tourists. None of the tour operators, however, believes that Zambia has done enough to build on its potential. Said one, "when the sleeping giant next door wakes up, Zambia will once again take up second place." He also asserted that hotel properties on the Zimbabwe side of the river have been well maintained. ¶8. (U) Investors pointed to excessive and poorly managed bureaucracy as impediments to the industry. The GRZ has recently, in the face of a sustained campaign by tour operators, rescinded the addition of a value-added tax (VAT) on tourism activities (restoring a situation that had previously been a long-standing rule). However, the GRZ now requires businesses to fill out a government form for every transaction in order to qualify for the VAT exemption. One operator calculated that they were processing more than 15 thousand forms per month. The GRZ does not have the capacity to process this volume of forms, and the system has raised operating costs despite no benefit to government. To the tourism operators, the GRZ decision to bring in VAT was based on greed in the first place, and the decision to rescind it but add paperwork is based on stubbornness and an inability to appreciate the benefits of tourism. ¶9. (SBU) Finally, the tour operators are reacting nervously to the GRZ's announcement that it would ban pricing of goods and services in U.S. dollars. Most operators quote in and accept both dollars and kwacha. They fear that the new policy-the GRZ's and Central Bank's attempt to maintain confidence in a steeply depreciating kwacha, will be too stringently implemented or misunderstood at the provincial level, causing further confusion and loss of business. It was generally agreed that the tour operators would go out of business if they were forced to price entirely in kwacha, though few feared the GRZ would go that far. BOOTH