New tourism Minister for improved infrastructure

The Minister of Tourism Moses Kunkuyu has emphasised the need for an improved tourism infrastructure and investments saying they form part of his priorities at the new ministry.

Kunkuyu told journalists in Blantyre on Wednesday that the campaign to attract tourists to visit the country will be incomplete, if the nation does not have standard accommodation which can only be realised through investments in the sector.

“For us to match the two important aspects of tourism, there is need to have international standard accommodation that will meet the demand that comes as a result of the marketing efforts we put up outside the country for tourists to visit the country.

“As a new man at the helm of the ministry, I will do what I can to improve the sector so that it lives up to its billing of being the nation’s money spinner so that it makes tangible contribution to the country’s economy,” said Kunkuyu, formally minister of information and civic education.

He said unlike other sectors that have made strides with the Public Private Partnership (PPP) the tourism sector has for a long time relied on concessions but observed that partnerships can also spur sector growth.

Kunkuyu pledged to lobby for more investment which he believes can contribute to economic growth.

Among others, he said the ministry will also work towards the expeditious completion of the cultural policy so that Malawi can identify its cultural origin.

He said: “People need to know who they are culturally if they are to stop copying other cultures from neighboring countries.”

He added that as a new minister, he is going to find means on how communities can benefit from resources that make tourist centres attractive.