The Ministry of Tourism has reaffirmed its commitment to enhancing road infrastructure to key tourist destinations, acknowledging the vital role accessibility plays in developing the sector.
Minister of Tourism Vera Kamtukule, in an interview on Wednesday, outlined the ministry’s ongoing efforts to improve accessibility challenges to tourists’ destinations.
She said: “Through direct feedback from tour operators, travel agents and tourism facilities as well as monitoring traveller attendance at cultural events, the government continues to evaluate how infrastructure influences the sector.
“Additionally guest feedback at tourist facilities provides crucial insights into accessibility concerns.”
Kamtukule said plans to improve road access are in place and aligned with the National Transport Master Plan and Malawi National Tourism Investment Master Plan, which identifies 130 projects and analyses the current state of existing tourism products.
“The master plan serves as a blueprint for the sector, addressing the issues to accessibility to all tourist attractions,” she said.
Kamtukule said that the ministry has a primary strategy, which is to promote both domestic and international travel while increasing revenue generated from the sector. “We are working closely with tourism operators to enhance their products, ensuring tourists have diverse activities that encourage longer stays and increased spending,” she said.
She reaffirmed her ministry’s strong working relationship with the Ministry of Transport, noting recent collaborations under the Presidential Delivery Unit (PDU) to prioritise road improvements to key tourists’ sites.
The Ministry of Transport said that many roads are either under construction or marked for rehabilitation.
However the ministry’s spokesperson Watson Maingo emphasised that these are large scale projects requiring substantial financial resources as well as mobilisation of constractors and equipment.
He said the government remains committed to improving connectivity for social economic and tourism activities and other projects are underway or set to begin in the 2025/26 national budget.
Said Maingo: “We understand the importance of a good transport system in economic growth and development.
“That is why we are prioritising road construction across the country. While some areas may experience delays, the government is making sure all projects move forward efficiently.”
He said that the government has also turned its attention to upgrading airports and seaports to enhance connectivity.
Obris Destination Management Company sales and marketing officer Lovemore Mfunya said that tourism business in remote areas are struggling due to poor road conditions.
He said: “Many visitors avoid these destinations because of difficult and unsafe travel routes. We have experienced a decline in the number of visitors. Travellers who have visited our tourism destination often share negative feedback about the poor road conditions.
“This discourages potential tourists who instead choose destinations in neighbouring countries with better road networks and infrastructure.”
Tourism is part of the agriculture, tourism and mining (ATM) strategy to help stimulate economic growth.
