ZAMBIA | DESTINATION LIVINGSTONE | SPONSORED
Destination LIVINGSTONE
[ WRITER: Rosie Mercer, Lute Maekaeka Kazembe ] [ PHOTO: Tony Barnett, Livingstone Film Makers ] Destination Livingstone was established in 2020 to make Livingstone a more attractive and competitive tourist destination. Our goal is to increase the long-term social and economic benefits that tourism can bring to the people, businesses and the local economy of Livingstone. We aim to see that Livingstone continues to become a better place for people to live, work and visit. Our approach is innovative in that private, public and community sectors are all represented on the DL Board and Working Groups which is a new business model in the City. We have many projects under way and provide a little taster in the two examples below.
What sets us apart from many other destinations is our history which can be evidenced very clearly in our city centre buildings. We are working with the National Heritage Conservation Commission to monitor and assess those buildings which are already under protection orders. With the City Council we will seek to encourage locals to preserve other significant buildings and create an historical quarter in the city. We plan on putting up information boards at key buildings in the city centre to improve knowledge and awareness of their history and enhance the walks around Livingstone. Cities for Infrastructure and Growth (CIGZambia), a UKAID funding programme is working with us to enhance the historic core of our city.
flora and fauna in the area, the human history including local tribe dispersion, as well as the key people who brought the Falls to worldwide attention. This project requires advice and support in order to produce the best of modern design for a new facility, assistance in storytelling and how to deliver through digital means, improved methods of monitoring visitors, and data collection improvements for future planning of the site. CBI Netherlands is supporting us in this work.
Livingstone shares the wonderful Victoria Falls with Zimbabwe with joint responsibility to protect, preserve and promote this World Heritage site. To do it justice we have started planning a new Visitor’s Information Centre at the Falls site. This will engage our visitors in better understanding of the geological formation of the gorges and the Falls, the
Livingstone is full of stories. There is rich local knowledge, ancient legends and traditions, colonial and industrial history and personal stories that bring it all to life. Livingstone is also home to a large number of artists and we celebrate the talent of our people.
30
TRAVEL & LEISURE | May - Aug 2021
Less than one year on from our inception, there is plenty of energy and excitement in our small team and we thank Prospero Zambia Limited for their financial support. FOREST OF FACES
We are looking for new ways to bring both
together - the stories and the artists - and the Forest of Faces is our new and truly amazing public art installation. 21 local artists have produced spectacular 3-4 metre high tree sculptures to resemble our very own forest in the centre of the city. They tell the stories of the Mukuni tribe and the ILA people; give us food for thought in the Great Wise Thinker and the Brave Man; showcase our wildlife in the Big 5 and the Giraffe and sadden us with George the Baboon. Development of the premier location in Livingstone – our Civic Centre - into a confident tourism attraction thereby creating a visitor hub, is a huge opportunity for our local people to be innovative and use their entrepreneurship to get fully involved and benefit directly from tourism. We are proud of who we are and confident that we can capture the passion and enthusiasm of our people to share the heart and soul of Livingstone. By doing so we provide exactly the immersive experiences our visitors are searching for.
