By BRIAN HATYOKA –

AFTER the 20th session of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) General Assembly in August 2013, Livingstone has played host to other major local and international gatherings.
The city, which is Zambia’s tourist capital, now has the best international airport in the country coupled with upgraded roads, among other modern infrastructure.
So far, Livingstone has been able to attract major conferences and events almost every week.
For instance, the Livingstone International Cultural and Arts Festival (LICAF), which was first held in May 2013 as a curtain-raiser for the UNWTO General Assembly, has become an annual that attracts local and foreign tourists.
From March 26 to 28, 2015, Livingstone hosted the second LICAF with the main objective of promoting increased arrivals of both local and international tourists ahead of the Easter holiday.
The festival was also aimed at celebrating Zambia and Africa’s cultural identity and diversity, and to showcase the best of Africa’s cultural product in dance and song.
This year’s event attracted artistes and tourism officials from Zambia, Zimbabwe, Seychelles and Mozambique.
It was jointly organised by the Zambia Tourism Board (ZTB), National Arts Council (NAC), Zambia Wildlife Authority (ZAWA), National Heritage and Conservation Commission (NHCC), National Museums Board (NMB), Ministry of Tourism and Arts as well as the private sector.
Activities included dance lessons and dance Panaroma at the Maramba Cultural Village, sunset boat cruise parties on the Zambezi River and street carnivals from Falls Park Mall to the main post office on the Mosi-oa-Tunya Road.
Others were pop festival at the Livingstone Golf Club, traditional food exhibition, traditional musical instrument exhibition at the Livingstone Museum, fine arts exhibition at the Livingstone Art Gallery, a gala dinner and fashion show at the Livingstone Zambia Airforce (ZAF) Mess and arena performances.
During the gala dinner, several artistes received awards with the Zambia National Dance Troupe emerging the overall winners from the category of traditional dance troupes.
Seychelles dancers came second while Zimbabwe and Mozambique dancers came in the third and fourth positions, respectively.
Tourism and Arts Minister Jean Kapata, Permanent Secretary Stephen Mwansa, Senior Chief Munokalya Mukuni of Kazungula District in Southern Province, ZTB Managing Director Felix Chaila, Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) Chief Executive Officer Karikoge Kaseke, former Tourism Minister and Livingstone International University of Tourism, Excellence and Business Management (LIUTEBM) Vice-Chancellor Patrick Kalifungwa as well as high-profile officials from Seychelles and Mozambique, among others, attended the gala dinner.
Already, dates for the third LICAF have been set for March 17 to 19, 2016 in Livingstone.
So far Zimbabwe, Seychelles and Mozambique have confirmed their participation at next year’s event.
Livingstone is currently hosting a three-week environmental sustainability festival known as Greenpop Zambia Festival of Action 2015.
The festival has been organised by ZTB in partnership with Greenpop to raise awareness on environmental matters.
The three-week project, running from June 28 through July 19, 2015 will draw hundreds of visiting volunteers from Southern Africa and around the world to participate in the eco-education and volunteerism project in collaboration with the local community.
Participants will also attend sustainability workshops and take part in debates.
The festival includes activities such as tree-planting, permaculture and social enterprise workshops, planting food forests, learning about and creating solar cookers and eco-bricks, along with spending time exploring and enjoying activities around Livingstone and Victoria Falls.
Greenpop Zambia kicked off the fourth annual environmental Festival of Action on Friday, June 26, 2015 with an official media launch and ceremonial tree-planting at the One Stop Shop in the heart of Livingstone.
On July 11, 2015, Livingstone will host the music festival known as Earth Fest Africa at Livingstone’s Maramba Cultural Village.
Performing artistes will include Jeremy Loops from South Africa, Mokoomba from Zimbabwe, ChickenBus Band from Zimbabwe, Yes Rasta as well as Claudous Hunt from Zambia.
Entry charges will be K60 and tickets can be bought at Computicket Shoprite or at the door at Maramba Cultural Village.
Like the case for LICAF, this festival is also aimed at promoting increased arrivals of local and international tourists.
The three-week-long programme is part of the ongoing environmental project that Greenpop runs in Livingstone all-year-round.
According to organisers, the Festival of Action is expected to attract about 500 people across the globe who will join in celebrating art and music.
“Because Greenpop is all about making greening popular, we also host a music festival in Livingstone called Earth Fest during the Festival of Action with live musicians from all over Southern Africa,” one organiser said.
“This happens on July 11, 2015 from 13:00 hours to 2:00 hours at Maramba Cultural Village on the road to the Zambezi waterfront.”
ZTB tourism promotion manager Jocelyn Mutinta said the festival, which would be an annual event, was another good platform to attract tourists to Livingstone.
Ms Mutinta said many people would have an opportunity to learn matters of protecting the environment, among others.
“Tourism and the environment are inseparable. When people destroy the trees and wildlife, tourists will have nothing to view, and so it is important to protect the environment to boost tourism,” Ms Mutinta said.
Wildlife and Conservation Society of Zambia (WCSZ) Livingstone chairperson Benjamin Mibenge said the festival would complement LICAF in boosting both domestic and foreign tourism.
Since 2012, Greenpop has planted 11,176 trees in Livingstone within 97 planting days and has hosted 24 sustainability workshops.
The organisation has held seven educational wall murals and made 50 hand-made solar cookers as well as 10 hand-made rocket stoves.