As part of their honours studies in Tourism Management, the students, supported by their lecturers, were involved in analyzing the tourism challenges and opportunities for the Livingstone area of Zambia, and based on key development and trends, as well as lessons from best-practice destinations, proposed tourism strategies and actions for the future.

The project included a field visit to the region during the week of 4 to 11 October 2010 during which they visited various attractions and facilities in Livingstone and the surrounding area in order to experience the destination first-hand. They also had discussions with public and private sector tourism stakeholders in the area. On Friday, 8 October, they presented their tentative findings to approximately 40 tourism stakeholders at a lively interactive tourism forum in Livingstone. The overall feedback from the stakeholders, regarding the proposals, was very positive.

Together with providing excellent learning experiences for the students, the programme also aimed to provide stakeholders in the Livingstone area, with strategic and practical proposals to capitalize on their rich array of tourism resources, which include a wide spectrum of special ecotourism and adventure activities; authentic cultural and cuisine experiences; and of course their flagship attraction, the Victoria Falls.

According to Prof Ernie Heath, Head of the Department of Tourism Management, previous projects of this nature, which have been undertaken in, among others, Namibia, Mozambique, Mauritius and South Africa, have proved to be extremely successful and have not only provided invaluable experience to students, but have also provided major benefits to participating destinations and industry stakeholders.