The Tourism as Local Development Leverage: The Restaurant/Guest house of Olga’s and the Professional School YCTC in Livingstone, Zambia

Abstract

The paper illustrates a project which is much smaller in scale compared to the large aid international programmes which aim to provide valuable benefits in terms of health, education and population well-being. Nevertheless, even small initiatives, like the one presented, can have significant positive impact on local development, because they can be replicated by the indigenous population and are sustainable. These projects are deeply embedded in the local context; they originate from specific contextual needs and aim to improve the well-being, using local resources and tapping on local potential. According to this logic, Olga’s Italian Corner is a project that aims on one side to foster educational development and on the other side to find ways to support financially the activities of the Youth Community Training Centre (YCTC). In addition, the guest house of Olga’s which is a small structure with good quality standards can become a family model of tourism facility in areas with high tourism potential like the one analysed in the present paper.