Tourism in Zambia. Types and Benefits

Let us explore the situation of tourism in Zambia and how the country benefits from visits to her tourist attraction sites

• Tourism is the movement of people from one place to another for leisure education, Religion
• A tourist is a person who travels to another place for leisure and recreation education within their own country

Two types of tourists

• Domestic tourists are those persons visiting tourist attractions within their own country.
• International tourists, are those who travel to visit attractions in other countries

Importance of tourism in Zambia

• Brings foreign exchange to the country
• Conservation means any wise use of vegetation and animals
• Tourism in Zambia encourages conservation of wild life
• It helps people to maintain culture and historical sites
• It improves other areas of the economy like airports, hotels and transport
• It promotes cottage industry/ home based industries
• Provides employment to the people of Zambia
• It Provides market for farm products
• Wild life means any wild animal and any kind of natural vegetation.

Different types Tourism in Zambia

Eco -tourism

Eco – tourism is aimed protecting the natural environment and at the same time enabling local people to share in and benefit from the tourism opportunities for attract eco-tourists who specifically want to visit places where the environment is protected.

Nature Tourism in Zambia

In this type of tourism, people from all over the world are fascinated by Africa’s wildlife .birdwatchers travel from all over the world to observe the rich wildlife of Zambia.

Adventure tourism

These tourists look for opportunities to take part in adventure activities such as bungee jumping from bridges and white water river rafting.

Cultural and Historical Tourism in Zambia

Many tourists also enjoy finding out more about Zambian cultures of the countries that they visit .tourists visiting Zambia are interested in traditional ceremonies and historical sites.

• In addition to the different tourist attractions, Zambia offers tourists a warm, sunny climate and friendly people who make tourists feel welcome.
• The country is seen as a peaceful and stable place to visit.

Tourist attractions found in Zambia

National Parks and Game Reserves

National parks and game reserves are protected areas set aside for the preservation of Zambia‘s natural environment and wildlife.

They include Kafue National Park, south and north Luangwa national parks, Liuwa national park, lower Zambezi National Park, Sumbu game reserve and Luvushimanda game reserve.

Differences between game management and Game Park are:

• Game management area has people living in as well as people
• Game park is a place reserved only for animals
• A game management has few animals as compared to a game park
• A game management has a small area while a game park has a big area
• In a game management hunting is allowed while in a game park it is not allowed

Historical sites

• Historical sites include kalambo falls, n’gombe illede and the nachikufu rock paintings.
• Some tourits are also insterested in historical sites related to the colonial era.
• For example, the town of Livingstone is named after the British explorer and missionary, Dr David Livingstone.

Scenic beauty

These include:

1. Waterfalls such as the Victoria Falls, chishimba falls and musonda falls.
2. Lakes beaches along Lake Kariba, bangweulu, mweru and Tanganyika.
3. Mountain scenery, such as the muchinga escarpment and the mafinga and Makutu Mountains.

Museums

Museums such as the Livingstone museum the motomoto museum and the railways museums offer tourists an opportunity to find out more about the history and culture of Zambia.

Traditional ceremonies

• They include the lozi kuomboka ceremony, which attracts many tourists.
• Other traditional ceremonies of interest to tourists, other traditional ceremonies of interest to tourists include mutomboko, n’cwala, kusefya pa ngw’ena and likumbi lya mize.
• Sports such as angling and golf attract many tourists.
• Adventure tourists especially come to Zambia for bungi jumping off Victoria falls bridge and to do white water rafting on the rapids of the Zambezi and other rivers.
• Water sports such as sailing and watersking are avaliable to tourists on Lake Kariba.

Advantages of tourism

Foreign exchange earnings:

• Tourists spend money on travel, accomodation and entertainment.
• Taxes from also increase government income.

Employment:

• People are employed in hotels and as tourist guides.
• Ohters find jobs as taxi drivers, coach drivers, airline staff, travel agents and sales staff in shops in tourist centers.
• Tourism also creates employment opportunities in other services industries, such as restaurants, hotels, motels and lodges, as well as fashion shops.

Infrastructural development:

• Tourism brings in foreign exchange taxes that help the government to pay for improving, such as roads and bridges.
• The development of tourism areas also helps to improve the general infrastructure, such as roads in many parts of the country.

Cultural exchange:

• Tourism helps to increase international understanding and relationships as tourists interact with people in Zambia.
• It also it helps with preservation and conservation of our cultural heritage of our cultural heritage, as tourists are interested in learning more about out traditions.
• Traditional crafts, such as woodcarving, benefits from also sales to tourists who want souvenirs to remember their trip.

Disadvantages of tourism

• Prostitution: tourist may encourage more men or women to engage in prostitution.
• Diseases: tourist interacting with prostitutes contributes to the spread of diseases such as aids and other sexually transmitted diseases.
• Trafficking in trophies: some tourists come to Zambia to hunt wild animals. They may also engage in buying trophies of endangered animals that have been pouched and killed illegally . This encourages the poaching and killing of endangered wildlife.
• Environment damage: if building of hotels and lodges for tourist are not planned in an eco-friendly way, they cause serious environment damage in protected natural areas.

Ways of addressing some of the negative impacts of tourism.

• Encouraging eco-tourism.
• Education to create awareness among tourists of the need to protect Zambia’s natural and culture heritage.
• Employing more people in the protection and conservation of tourist attraction.

Importance of conserving tourism resources

• Cultural heritage: many of the tourist attractions are part of our cultural heritage which must preserved for future generation to enjoy.
• Recreation: both local and international tourists enjoy relaxing in natural environment that are unspoiled, clean and well cared for.
• Sustainable development: this means that development of tourism attraction must be done in a way that will protect the natural environment so that it can continue to sustain healthy tourism industry for many years to come .

Dangers to wildlife

• Many animals are being killed by poachers
• Overstocking.(keeping of many animals on a small piece of land)
• Deforestation which means an necessary cutting down of trees
• Droughts
• Late bush burning which destroys trees or vegetation

Solutions to these dangers

• Stiff punishments must be given to poachers
• Game cropping must be done. This means selective killing of old animals which have become too many
• Afforestation which means planting of trees where the natural vegetation has been cleared
• Early burning must be encouraged Problems faced by tourism industry
• Bad roads which goes to some tourist attractions especially in the rain season
• Unfavorable or bad climate e.g. high temperatures
• Tourism industry is seasonal. It is active in the dry season
• Adoption foreign cultures from western countries like USA and Britain
• Very few tourist infrastructure like lodges
• Floods and droughts

Government efforts to boost or promote tourism in Zambia

• The GOVT has formed the Zambia National Tourist Board to control tourism in Zambia
• Encourage people to invest in tourism
• Encourage people to conserve or protect tourism
• Employment of game guards to protect wild animals
• Introducing stiff punishments to poachers
• Banning of selling of ivory
• Improvement of community facilities of people living in Game management areas
• Catering of foreign foods

Revision questions

1. State the importance of tourism in Zambia.
2. What are the challenges facing the tourism industry.
3. Suggest the possible solutions to the problems facing the tourism industry.
4. Give government efforts to boost the tourism industry
5. What is the impact of tourism on the environment?