State vice president Saulos Chilima has hinted on the importance of prioritizing and utilizing the tourism industry for the economic growth of the country.

Chilima said this after he held a meeting with the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Wildlife Michael Usi in Lilongwe, yesterday.

According to Chilima, it is very unfortunate that the industry has no be been utilized for a long despite that it could be a massive opportunity for economic growth that the country has.

During the meeting, Usi presented at least four reform areas on strengthening Institutional capacity through functional reviews, devolving selected tourism functions to councils, reviewing legislation to respond to modernity and facilitation of Public Private Partnerships to increase investment and competitiveness in the tourism sector.

“I have since impressed on the Ministry to begin to consider a total revolution of the sector because tourism is the next biggest opportunity for growth for Malawi,” sad Chilima.

He continued; “To achieve this, the Ministry plans to create a Malawi Tourism Authority that would effectively and efficiently manage Malawi as a tourism destination”

According to Chilima, the tourism sector has already contributed 7.7 percent to the GDP in 2017 but there is massive potential to increase this.

“If we are to harness the sector as a critical pillar to the next development agenda, Vision 2063, then we will need a serious revolutionary approach to tourism,” he said.

As it stands, the ministry has proposed to construct purpose-built infrastructures and place monuments and heritage sites under concession with the view of contributing to revenue generation while at the same promoting tourism.