ZTA to relocate head office to Livingstone

THE Zambia Tourism Agency (ZTA) has been instructed to relocate its head office from Lusaka to Livingstone, chief executive officer Felix Chaila has disclosed.

Mr Chaila said the Ministry of Tourism and Arts had instructed ZTA to relocate its headquarters to Livingstone to boost the tourism sector by liberalising operations of the agency.

He disclosed this during a press briefing held at the provincial office in Livingstone on Thursday ahead of the Livingstone International Cultural and Arts Festival (LICAF) slated for this weekend. "I will be coming to Livingstone soon and there are plans to concentrate ZTA's operations in Livingstone. Our operations need to start growing," he said. "As CEO, I will be spending more time in Livingstone than Lusaka, there is an instruction from government that we need to move the headquarters to Livingstone.

Mr Chaila further said that this year's LICAF would be different from the previous ones especially that it was not held last year. "Livingstone Cultural and Arts Festival is an important annual activity and this year it is being supported by our all-weather partners, Zambia Breweries, who as you might be aware will be hosting the Mosi Day Thunder," he said.

He said that the two events would complement each other and culminate into the grand finale of LICAF on Saturday, May 26, 2018. Mr Chaila said the main objective was to showcase Zambia's rich cultural heritage and also increase tourist arrivals not only in Livingstone but also Zambia as a whole and generate the much-needed revenue for local communities who will be key in the festival. He said a total budget of K1.2 million was needed to successfully host the event. And Livingstone Tourism Agency (LTA) chairperson Peter Jones is elated by the decision to move the ZTA headquarters to Livingstone.

Mr Jones said Livingstone City had too much to offer but that it was not being utilised fully.