By Patience Longwe.

Lilongwe 11 June, Mana; Minister of Tourism, Vera Kamtukule has said there is need for collaboration between the government and the private sector to enhance the tourism industry.

She was speaking on Monday when she presided over a full Lab on Tourism meeting that took place at Bingu International Convention Centre (BICC) in Lilongwe.

Kamtukule commended the country's president for lifting entry visa fees for travelers from 79 countries, observing this was an important step.

"Our role is to make Malawi more accessible because at the moment it is expensive and difficult due to the air connectivity issues" She said.

Deputy Secretary to the President and Cabinet (DSPC) who is also head of Presidential Delivery Unit (PDU), Dr. Janet Banda said the Tourism Lab will give opportunity to both the public and private sectors to collaborate and unlock the bottlenecks that are preventing growth.

She noted that this will likely result in the tourism industry propelling Malawi's economic transformation.

"However as we analyze these issues, let us remember that we need to be encouraged by our unique strengths in addressing the challenges that appear to be insurmountable" Banda said.

The four-day event will tackle issues concerning policy and government involvement, exploring social movement within the sectors and expanding its focus to broader movements.