By BRIAN HATYOKA –

GOVERNMENT has identified an area behind Maramba Cultural Village and Livingstone Show grounds as one of the potential sites where a 5,000 capacity world-class Convention Centre and other infrastructure will be constructed in the tourist capital.
Other infrastructure to be established are a 300 roomed five star resort hotel complex, a shopping arcade, an entertainment centre, information centre and 40 offices to carter for administration of
resort complex and conference.
Tourism and Arts Deputy Minister Lawrence Evans said the area behind Maramba Cultural Village and Livingstone Show grounds was a potential site for the construction of a modern convention centre and other infrastructure.
Mr Evans, who is Livingstone Member of Parliament, said more jobs would be created in the tourist
capital once the various infrastructure was established.
“We have not yet settled on the actual site but one of the potential sites where these facilities will be established is an area behind Maramba Cultural Village and the Show Grounds up to near Zambezi
River.
“This is a very good project in Livingstone because more jobs will be created in the tourist capital after co-hosting the 20th session of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) General Assembly in August 2013,” Mr Evans said.
He noted that during the UNWTO General Assembly, Livingstone City in Zambia and Victoria Falls town in Zimbabwe did not have modern convention centres and ended up in hiring companies to set up marquee structures at a high cost.
“Tourism and Arts Minister Sylvia Masebo thought that there was no way we could continue paying a lot of money to hire companies to set up marquees and hence the decision to construct a permanent
conventional centre.
“Once the centre is constructed in Livingstone, other big international conferences such as Heads of State summits will be hosted in the tourist capital,” he said.
On January 31, the Ministry of Tourism and Arts Procurement Committee invited Expressions of Interest from eligible consultants interested in providing architectural, engineering, and quality
surveying services for the proposed construction of the modern convention centre and other infrastructures on an area covering 16 hectares.
The construction of various infrastructure in Livingstone is in line with the Government’s renewed desire to diversify the tourism product base of Zambia.