Luena – The First Regional Tourism Development Forum for the Coast, Center, South and East regions of the country begins Wednesday in the city of Luena, eastern Moxico Province.
The forum, taking place under the motto “Enhancing tourism as na industry of peace in the land of peace”, will bring together
businesspeople and entrepreneurs from the provinces of Moxico, Lunda-Sul, Lunda-Norte, Bié, Huambo, Benguela, Cuanza-Sul and Namibe.
The event will also deal with “Tourism in the coastal region, center, south, central plateau and east Angola-visions and strategy based on the potential of the Lobito Corridor”, and “The potential of religious tourism in Angola: an approach from of the dynamics of tocoism”.
It also covers the themes “Tourist development: international trends and challenges for growth in Angola”, “The importance of agro-tourism for the tourist development of Moxico”, and “Strategies for the tourist development of the provinces located along the Lobito Corridor based on the analysis of the DAFO matrix - Weaknesses, Threats, Strengths and Opportunities”.
With 370 participants expected, the Forum on Tourism in Angola will also discuss “Cartographies and geographic information systems applied to tourism”, as well as “Dark tourism as an element for local development: case of Moxico”.
For the forum's spokesperson, José Paulo, there will be, in parallel, an exhibition of various food, electronic, cultural and consumable products, which already has 20 participants registered.
The Tchihumbwe River Falls, named one of the "Seven Wonders of Angola", located in the municipality of Dala, in the province of Lunda-Sul, as well as the historical and cultural heritage of the host province, Moxico, are included in the tourist itinerary.
Moxico is a province of Angola that has 65 identified tourist resources and a great diversity of fauna and flora, but still produces insufficient revenue to boost the economy and local development.
In concrete terms, the sector also controls more than 48 hotel and similar infrastructures, which make up a total of 542 rooms and 772 beds.
Despite the potential and “virgin” lands that characterize the province of Moxico, in the hotel and tourism sector the sector is little explored, due to several factors, including access roads. In addition to this, the province is still struggling with the lack of infrastructure and the lack of trained staff in the area.
Much of Moxico's tourist infrastructure requires substantial investment in order to attract tourists to this region, including the
Monumento à Paz Tourist Center, Dilolo Lake, Mulondola Lake, Cameia Park, Zambezi River, Tchafinda Falls, among other places. LTY/YD/TED/jmc
