Malawi’s Minister of Tourism, Vera Kamtukule, describes herself as a ‘hardcore pan-African’. Her policies aim to wake the ‘sleeping giant’ that is the country’s tourism sector with the aim of achieving some of the objectives set out in Malawi Vision 2063 – the country’s 40-year development agenda. Iga Motylska secured an exclusive interview with her at MITE24 (Malawi International Tourism Expo).

Q: What are the biggest misconceptions about Malawi?

A: Many people – even larger African countries – still think of Malawi as a village or a primitive nation that doesn’t even have universities. They think we are still in the Stone Age. That's one of the many things I’m here to change. Malawi has been touted as ‘Africa for beginners’ and the ‘world's best kept secret’. I used to like that phrase until now. We are tired of being a secret and want to unleash our secret.

Q: How are you changing this narrative?

A: We are changing the narrative by making deliberate efforts, so that even though it may take two or three flights to get to Malawi, when you land, you can just walk in. On 7 February 2024, Malawi amended its immigration regulations to allow travellers from 79 countries, including our key source markets, [United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and numerous countries within the European Union] to visit Malawi without a visa. This is how we are being intentional about improving accessibility and opening the country to the entire world.

Q: How is the Ministry of Tourism tackling flight connectivity to Malawi?

A: We do not shy away from the things that are not working. Without direct flights to Malawi from Europe, it takes longer and is more expensive to get here. And so, we have commissioned a team to look into our flight connectivity issue to reduce the cost of travel into Malawi and shorten the distance. We're also working with the Minister of Lands and have purchased 52 acres of land in Salima, along the length of Lake Malawi, where we want to establish a housing estate, golf course, hotel and casino. We also plan to refurbish the aerodrome in Salima for regional planes coming directly from Victoria Falls, Mozambique and across the region.

Editor’s note: MITE24 hosted a panel on ‘Addressing bottlenecks for improving Malawi’s Air Connectivity’ featuring panellists from the Malawi Ministry of Transport; Civil Aviation Authority; Airports Developments Limited (ADL); and Kenya Airways.

Q: How are your efforts supported by the President?

A: We have placed tourism at the heart of our structural socio-economic transformation. The political will is there. The President, Dr Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera, is championing an ATM (Agriculture-Tourism-Mining) strategy as our economy stands on these three key sectors. The Malawi International Tourism Expo which took place at Bingu International Convention Centre in Lilongwe from 19-27 April 2024 is part of ‘Agriculture Tourism and Mining Strategy Promotion week’. While it puts us, as ministers, under pressure, it also gives us the clout needed for the disruptive transformation of our economy. In the 2024/5 financial year, my tourism budget has increased by 58%. This is a deliberate move by our government to ensure that we leverage the potential of our tourism sector.

Q: What is your ‘wish list’ to help develop Malawi’s tourism sector?

A: Infrastructure development, because I don't do infrastructure, I do tourism. As a minister, I have two key functions. The first is product development and the second is destination marketing. The fifth edition of MITE 2024 is helping us sell ‘Destination Malawi’. But once we have done that, travellers are going to want to see what we have to offer and that's where product development is essential.

It’s critical for us to adopt what our President calls a ‘whole-country’ approach where the Minister of Transport and Public Works tackles infrastructure; the Minister of Homeland Security addresses immigration; and the Minister of Energy takes on power. When the Minister of Transport and Public Works sits down in his office and considers which road projects to invest in, he also needs to look at the roads that will take travellers to our tourism destinations.

Q: How is Malawi’s 20-year Tourism Investment Master Plan progressing?

A: We are using the Tourism Investment Master Plan as a resource mobilisation tool, to woo interested investors, and as a guide towards how we want to invest in tourism. Before the 20-year Tourism Investment Master Plan was implemented in April 2022, development was happening haphazardly and randomly. If the private sector had the money, they would just build an establishment. Now our focus is on development with integrity that not only meets but exceeds minimum standards and requirements, and is driven by a plan.

The 20-year Tourism Investment Master Plan has identified 103 projects throughout the country, from the north to the south. To begin with, we have isolated 10 of those 103 projects that are going to change the trajectory and landscape of tourism in our country. However, it's not just about establishing a hotel, casino or other facilities; that’s not enough. If I ask our treasury to give me billions of kwacha with which to build a hotel that is a problem.

We no longer want to operate from a ‘poverty perspective’. There are Malawians and those living in Malawi with money but who don’t have access to adequate investment information, so the Tourism Investment Master Plan contains extensive information, including incentives available to Malawians and other investors. My job is to create an enabling environment within the tourism sector to provide the impetus for the private sector to thrive once they invest.

Q: What are Malawi’s USPs as a destination?

A: I've been telling my fellow countrymen that the very thing that some may think is ‘primitive’ is exactly what sets us apart. I want to invite travellers into our homes and cook them a traditional Malawian dish for them to experience who I am, my culture, my religion, my beliefs, my values – all of that. At the same time, we, as Malawians, want to connect with you, and also learn about your culture, values and beliefs to show travellers that the only thing that separates us as humans are borders.

We do not compete with other African countries in terms of the tourism products we offer, rather we leverage the warmth of our people. We are a peaceful nation, where you can walk around at night and feel safe. That's what makes us the ‘Warm Heart of Africa’. When you're talking about that warmth, you're talking about us as Christians. Our people are going to teach you something about yourself. When we stand on podiums across the world, we tell people that if they want to discover themselves, they need to come to Malawi.

Q: What is your vision for regional integration?

A: At our core, we are one. If we can be co-ordinated and integrated, we will present the African continent as a destination. We're also championing the African agenda, regional integration and SADC integration. We don't want to use predatory marketing against each other, especially not in Africa. We are deliberate about connecting to the East African region, Tanzania and Kenya, because we have seen their traffic and need to leverage that. We want visitors coming to Tanzania to come to Malawi, onwards to Mozambique and Zimbabwe before they go back. We want to build each other up where everybody gets a piece of the cake, as we develop as a region. If you leave one SADC nation behind, you leave all of them behind. We need to find means and ways of pulling up the little guy that may be struggling. We must all work together to push the continent forward.