Following ZATO and CBI’s visit to Samfya in June 2022, on a tourism exploration mission and workshop, the Samfya team also decided to visit Livingstone.

The Samfya team visit actually happened on the 18th of August 2022 in coordination with the ZATO team, for that Tourism Orientation for the Samfya team hosted by the Livingstone Tourism stakeholders.

Among the Samfya team was His Royal Highness Chief Kasoma Bangweulu, the Mayor His Worship James Kapilila, some Samfya council senior officials and several tourism stakeholders from Luapula Province.

On the following day, the team was officially hosted by the Mayor of Livingstone Her Worship Constance Muleabia to a meeting in the council chambers in the presence of Tourism Ministry officials and several tourism heads of department based in Livingstone.  

After the welcome remarks by Her Worship the Mayor of Livingstone. She implored Samfya to diversify its tourism offering beyond the beach life and discussion zerod on the need to have tourism inclusiveness of the local communities for economic empowerment and social justice in the whole country and to also lengthen the days of stay in Zambia. Conservation and community participation were high on the discussions too.

Chief Kasoma Bangweulu and the Mayor of Samfya were appreciative of the initiative and gesture by ZATO to bring them to Livingstone and of the entire reception. They echoed the One Zambia One Nation - -Motto and the need for inclusive growth and highlighted the state of the infrastructure in Luapula in teams of connectivity and lodging.

The meeting was well attended with the media in attendance. The meeting was also graced by the CBI representative Mrs. Ingutu Mwase who shared CBI’ support programme to tourism and other sectors and also revealed the unfortunate impending end of CBI’ support programme to Zambia in 2024 sighting Dutch Embassy absence in Zambia.

The meeting ended with the planting of Tamarind trees, one by His Royal Highness Chief Kasoma Bangweulu which he named, Bangweulu and the other was planted by both the Mayor of Samfya His Worship James Kapilila and Her worship the Mayor of Livingstone, Constance Muleabia in the council grounds and was named, New Dawm.

On the following days, the Samfya team was treated to several and various tourism experiences among which was a visited to Mukuni Village were the team was yet again hosted by His Royal Highness Munokalya Mukuni at his palace. Chief Mukuni gave the entire team an in-depth briefing of the Bene Mukuni, their origin, culture and traditions and everyone was amazed.

In both meetings it was echoed that Samfya and Livingstone be sister towns so that Livingstone can help Samfya to enhance its tourism development especially towards international clients. Chief Mukuni was so generous to share the chiefdom’s approach to traditional land and investment. It was enlightening and was much appreciated by all those present. Chief Mukuni further extended an experience to the Mukuni big 5 Lion Interaction and the Lion King Boat Cruise to the team and actually joined the Lunch Cruise experience on the Mighty Zambezi River.

As a last experience, the Samfya team was taken to the Mighty Kazungula bridge which is a national pride of cooperation between Zambia and Botswana.

The ZATO Livingstone team were at hand through out to make sure the Samfya team felt the Livingstone hospitality.

The decision that Chief Kasoma Bangweulu and the council officials took to be part of the entourage, rhymes very well with this year’s World Tourism Day theme, ‘Re -Thinking Tourism’ and will surely help to actuallise central government’s plan for the Northern Circuit. It could not have been better than that.

ZATO appreciates CBI for helping it to actualize its vision, without which all this would not be possible.

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