The Zambia Tourism Agency (ZTA) and Airtel Networks Zambia have signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enhance tourism planning and development using anonymized telecommunications data. This strategic collaboration will provide critical insights into visitor movement trends, enabling data-driven decision-making to promote and develop Zambia’s tourism sector.
Under this initiative, Airtel Zambia will supply aggregated and anonymized data on traffic movement in designated tourism areas while ensuring full compliance with data privacy regulations and maintaining strict confidentiality for subscribers. By analyzing these insights, ZTA will gain a clearer understanding of visitor trends, peak travel periods, and mobility patterns, ultimately leading to more effective tourism strategies and policies.
Speaking at the MoU signing ceremony, ZTA Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Matongo Matamwandi, emphasized the importance of access to reliable and timely data for tourism development.
“With this partnership, ZTA will be able to better track attendance at various events, including traditional ceremonies, sports games, festivals, and Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions (MICE) events,” he stated.
He further highlighted the broader significance of accurate data in economic development planning:
“We are very excited about this partnership with Airtel Networks Zambia. In the tourism sector, performance is typically measured through international tourist arrivals, domestic tourist visits, tourism receipts, hotel occupancy rates, length of stay, and tourist spending. While the Ministry of Tourism is currently working on a Tourism Satellite Account (TSA) to provide a more structured
measurement of the sector’s contribution to GDP, ZTA has sought alternative methods to measure domestic tourism performance. This partnership with Airtel will enable us to access domestic tourism data through mobile phone analytics, supplementing existing data sources from heritage sites, museums, and national parks, which do not provide a comprehensive picture of domestic tourism activities.”
He also noted that the partnership would support the enhancement of the Take a Holiday YAMULOKO campaign, which ends this month and is set to be relaunched in July 2025 for another six-month run.
Airtel Zambia Managing Director, Mr. Hussam Baday, underscored the company’s commitment to using technology to support domestic tourism while maintaining the highest standards of data privacy and security.
“This partnership represents a significant step forward in harnessing data for tourism development. By leveraging the power of data analytics, we can collectively boost domestic tourism, enhance visitor experiences, and contribute to economic growth. Our goal is to support ZTA in making informed decisions that attract more travelers, optimize tourism infrastructure, and promote local businesses across the country while fully adhering to data protection regulations.”
The Zambia Tourism Agency and Airtel remain committed to fostering innovation and sustainable growth in the tourism sector. This collaboration marks the beginning of a data-driven approach to understanding and enhancing Zambia’s domestic tourism landscape.
