Lengwe National Park in Chikwawa District has lined up a range of special services for visitors as Malawi joins the rest of the world in commemorating World Tourism Month this September.
In an interview on Sunday, Department of Parks and Wildlife director Brighton Kumchedwa said in partnership with Jambo Africa, which operates the park’s Nyala Lodge, visitors will enjoy special activities such as guided nature walks, game viewing and bird-watching.
“We want to offer tourists top-class services, including swimming, conferencing facilities and special meals, alongside eco-friendly accommodation options,” he said.
Kumchedwa said the park has put in place arrangements to ease access and attract more visitors.
“These include upgrading access roads to key attractions within the park and conducting controlled burning of dense forest areas to improve game viewing,” he said.
Meanwhile, a tourism lecturer at Mzuzu University Mathews Lambulira has called on tourism players in the country to take advantage of the tourism month to promote their services by offering attractive packages.
“It is time for the players in the tourism sector to think of an attractive package that can be sold to either an international or a domestic traveller. We are talking about a combination of services such as accommodation, transport and meals,” he said.
Lambulira emphasised the need for coordination among players in the tourism sector to promote Malawi as a tourism destination.
Lengwe is the only park in the Shire Valley where the Nyala antelope is found, thriving in its unique thicket habitat.
It is also home to over 350 bird species, including the vibrant swallow-tailed bee-eater, the striking crested guinea fowl and the melodic cinnamon-breasted bunting.
Other wildlife found in the park includes buffaloes, impalas, warthogs and kudus.
World Tourism Month is celebrated annually in September and culminates in World Tourism Day on September 27.
The theme of this year’s celebration is ‘Tourism and sustainable transformation.’
