By Cecilia Chiluba,Zambia, Lusaka
Zambian Embassy in Seoul has pledged its commitment to working with the Korea Association of Travel Agents (KATA) to increase the visibility of destination Zambia among Korean outbound travelers, while encouraging greater exchange between tourism operators in both countries.
During a meeting with KATA Chairman Lee Jin-Seok, Zambia’s Chargé d’Affaires, Mrs. Wrayrose Hamweene, highlighted the country’s strong alignment with Korean interests in nature, wildlife, adventure, culture, and sustainable tourism.
She noted iconic attractions such as Victoria Falls, South Luangwa National Park, Lower Zambezi National Park, and Kafue National Park, emphasizing Zambia’s unique wildlife experiences, rich cultural heritage, and reputation as a peaceful country with warm and hospitable people.
Mrs. Hamweene expressed appreciation to KATA for its leadership in Korea’s travel and tourism industry and underscored the importance of tourism in strengthening people-to-people ties, cultural exchange, and economic cooperation.
She proposed cooperation areas including the development of Zambia-focused tour itineraries, familiarization trips for Korean tour operators and media, joint destination marketing initiatives, and Zambia’s inclusion in Southern Africa multi-destination packages.
“Zambia, through the Zambia Tourism Agency, will host the Zambia Tourism Expo (ZATEX) in June 2026. We invite Korean tour operators and travel agencies to participate,” she said.
In response, Mr. Lee welcomed the engagement with the Zambian Embassy and noted that relatively few Koreans currently visit Africa, stressing the need for enhanced promotion to make the destination more attractive to Korean travelers, as well as addressing direct connectivity challenges.
“Many African travel packages sold in Korea do not include Zambia, although some operators that do sell African packages often combine Zambia with Zimbabwe, Botswana, and South Africa. KATA will do its best to introduce Zambia to the Korean tourism market,” he said.
Mr. Lee observed that common perceptions of Zambia among Koreans are largely limited to copper and Victoria Falls, while South Africa is associated with wine fields and city tourism, and Kenya with safari tourism.
He emphasized that Zambia’s tourism endowment, peace, and stability are key strengths that remain under-promoted in Korea, and welcomed Zambia’s hosting of ZATEX in June 2026, noting that KATA would share the information with its members.
Mr. Lee also highlighted the potential of promoting Zambia through Korean television and social media influencers, and proposed that Zambian tour operators visit Korea to market the destination directly. As a starting point, he welcomed the idea of hosting a joint webinar in collaboration with Zambian counterparts.
According to a statement issued by Zondi Chilembo, First Secretary – Tourism at the Zambia Embassy in Seoul, both countries reaffirmed their commitment to continued dialogue and collaboration to strengthen tourism cooperation between Zambia and the Republic of Korea.
