Matongo Matamwandi has concluded his three-year tenure as Chief Executive Officer of the Zambia Tourism Agency, marking the end of a period characterized by accelerated growth, sector reforms and heightened international visibility for Destination Zambia.
Appointed in 2022, Matamwandi’s leadership coincided with a pivotal phase for Zambia’s tourism sector, as it emerged from global travel disruptions and repositioned itself for sustained growth. Over the period, international tourist arrivals more than doubled, rising from 1.1 million in 2022 to 2.3 million in 2025, significantly increasing foreign exchange earnings and reinforcing tourism’s contribution to the national economy.
Reflecting on his time in office, Matamwandi described the assignment as one of the most demanding of his professional career. “It has been the busiest three years of my working life, with a work schedule averaging 14 to 15 hours daily, except Sabbath,” he noted, adding that such intensity has become characteristic of leadership within the tourism sector. He emphasized that serving Zambia at a time of sector transformation was both a responsibility and a privilege.
Beyond growth in arrivals, the period recorded several institutional and market-facing milestones. The domestic tourism campaign, YAMULOKO, was launched to encourage Zambians to holiday locally, strengthening internal demand and resilience. The Tourism Excellence Awards were introduced to recognize performance and raise service standards across the industry, while the Zambia Travel Expo, ZATEX, created structured marketing and trade opportunities for small and medium-sized tourism enterprises.
