Utilization of the Zambezi River Basin for Tourism: Opportunities and Challenges: Opportunities and Challenges

Abstract

Purpose: Zambezi River Basin (ZRB) is one of the top ranking tourist destinations in Southern Africa. It is one of the five longest river basins in Africa blessed with diversified wildlife. The popular stopovers along the river basin are Caprivi, Victoria Falls and Livingstone, Kariba, Kafue, Cahora Bassa and Zambezi Delta. It offers variety of tourist attractions including boating, cruising, kayaking, diving, walking along the river bank, bungee jumping, white water rafting, fishing, hunting and flying over the Basin. However, it seems that the development of facilities around the Basin like hotels, cottages, campsites, trails, tourism complexes and walkways does not match with the opportunities the ZRB offers. Keeping this in mind, the present study explores the challenges and the possibility of tourism development along the Zambezi River Basin (ZRB). Methods: The study is solely based on the Literature synthesis generated from secondary sources based on reports and articles published in academic journals. Results: Diverse wildlife and scenic beauty are the main opportunities for the region to develop tourism. However poor road and air communication and other infrastructural weaknesses are the major obstacles for the region to develop tourism. Implications: Governments and the private entrepreneurs should work together in developing infrastructure as well as tourist attractions in the region, including road, water and air transportation, electricity supply, gaming options, spa, and other such facilities. Limitations: The paper is based only on literature synthesis to arrive at the conclusion and recommendation. The literature is relatively scant and most of the available literature is from reports. Survey methods can be used to have a broader comprehension of the challenges and the opportunities of the region