By KAIKO NAMUSA –

THE ‘Devil’s Pool’ in Livingstone has been ranked as one of the Top 10 Best natural swiming pools in the World.

The Top 10 award was given by TripAdvisor, the world’s most respected and widely consulted travel search engine and directory.

The Devil’s Pool is on top of the list ahead of nine other natural pools around the world including the Havasu Falls in the USA and the Blue lagoon in Iceland.

And commenting on the news, Zambia Tourism Board Director of Marketing Mato Shimabale said the award was a big endorsement on Zambia’s tourism.

ZTB Public Relations and Media manager, Caristo Chitamfya said this in a statement issued in Lusaka yesterday.

“TripAdvisor is one of the biggest authorities in the travel industry with over 60 million hits per month offering a search-engine and directory that matches hotels with flights, holiday destinations and packages and provides more than 60 million consumer reviews to help travelers plan their trips. Therefore to be ranked in the top 10 in the world by such an authority is to get the highest accolade that any country can wish for’’ Mr Shimabale said.

He urged both the local and international tourists visiting

Livingstone to ensure that they added Livingstone Island on their itinerary as it was a unique experience that could only be found on the Zambian side.

The “Devil’s Pool” is a naturally formed pool of water on the edge of the mighty Victoria Falls accessed through Livingstone Island on the Zambian side.

The Island also marks the site where Scottish Explorer and missionary Dr David Livingstone first sighted the Victoria Falls and verbalised the now famous line “Scenes so lovely must have been gazed upon by angels in their flight’’

Livingstone Island particularly known as the Devil’s pool had lately become a global attraction with 30 million hits on You-tube and other international social media outlets.

At the recently held UNWTO General Assembly in Livingstone, Vice-President Guy Scott, First Lady Christine Kaseba and Tourism and Arts Minister Sylvia Masebo were among Zambia’s prominent personalities who took several guests to Livingstone Island as part of the country’s strategy to market this special tourism product to an international audience.