A short history of Livingstone accommodation
Owner of the Guest Mate Inn, General Kapawa shares some history on the town of Livingstone, Livingstone accommodation, and the background and aims of the Livingstone Lodge and Guest House Association.
The Old DriftLivingstone town in Zambia has a fascinating history. It was the first white settlement in the country (then Northern Rhodesia) and became a gateway to the copper mines further north. The settlers crossed the Zambezi river at its deepest and narrowest, a few kilometres west of the Victoria Falls. This crossing is known as the ‘The Old Drift’. The old drift Settlement was established in 1898. From then on numerous colonial developments started.
Hotel development in LivingstoneThe Livingstone Hotel was the first hotel in town and the first brick building of any considerable size. Built in 1906 it consisted of 10 rooms. Sadly, the hotel closed in the 1930s and was converted into shops. But a second hotel, built in the same year, survived — the North Western Hotel still stands as a national monument.
From the 1950s the tourism industry developed around the famous Victoria Falls just a few kilometres south of Livingstone. Hotel accommodation was a preserve of foreign investors for a very long time, and it was generally very expensive. Only recently, in about the year 2000, did indigenous Zambians wake up to the challenge of building affordable quality lodge and guesthouse accommodation in order to cater for a wider spectrum of holiday makers.
Examples of such accommodation include:»» Guestmate Inn
Today the Livingstone Lodge and Guest House Association is working to bring Zambian lodging entrepreneurs together to facilitate quality control in lodge management and also assist in economic development of the Zambian tourism sector. For further information contact General Kapawa of Guestmate Inn. Telephone +260 213 323939 or +260 977 777939. Email guestmate@microlink.zm