PICTURE: Staff with tourism expertise may prefer to work for opulent ventures than working for a CBT enterprise that face many challenges like (insert) transport.
TOURISM is fast becoming an important initiative for community development. When the new Tourism Policy of 2013 was adopted in Zimbabwe, one of its objectives was to promote the concept of rural tourism or community-based tourism (CBT).
Any community with a public resource like wildlife reserve, natural landscape or a heritage site can venture into a CBT enterprise. What are some the challenges of venturing into such a business?
Ownership conflict
Usually, a CBT enterprise is directed by a designated committee. When the whole or some members of the selected committee feel that they deserve greater share of privileges than others, those who feel sidelined may start working towards the demise of the business.
When discontented members grumble, they can campaign against the initiative to tourists. Since tourists’ focal point of visiting is leisure not embroiling in community politics, they will certain opt for another tourist destination in their impending visit.
Ownership conflicts give competitors mileage. They can use such clashes to discredit the CBT venture so that they can enjoy monopoly. NGOs who would have funded capacity building at CBT project may withdraw from further funding. Without funding, a CBT initiative may fail to sustain itself.
Another form of conflict that can rise is that of land rights. As with most development projects in Zimbabwe, some natives might feel that establishment of a project is stripping them of 'their family' inheritance. Such families may throw spanners in the CBT enterprise progress so that they can “repossess” the land in concern.
Exorbitant council levies and poor infrastructure
Sometimes a RDC (rural district council) may impose levies that may hinder the progress of a CBT enterprise. An RDC should not regard a CBT enterprise as a milk cow to finance its other operations. At least a RDC should charge reasonable than exorbitant taxes and levies.
A CBT might be established in an area where it is inaccessible during bad weather days. The wet, rainy season can be curse to a CBT entity’s operations if the local government does not improve infrastructure like earth roads and bridges.
Lack of expertise in tourism and business practices
Sometimes a CBT may lack expertise in tourism and business practices. A CBT may come to collapse not because it is not viable but because the managing committee is too conservative. Business trends are changing by day. Faced with such, the committee might choose to suppress fresh business ideas in a bid to protect personal interests ahead of business security. A worse scenario is when a committee refuses to incorporate a new shareholder for cash injection when the CBT enterprise's cash flow is in deficiency.
On the other hand, people with the required tourism expertise might refuse to work in a rural setup preferring urban environment. Most experienced staff finds it a prestige to work for an internationally renowned tourism company than a CBT enterprise. Semi experienced staff might fail to offer quality service.
Poor marketing techniques
A CBT enterprise may just wait for the central government to market its tourist destination. To expect that all of its clientele base will be reached through marketing by a third party like Zimbabwe Tourism Authority is risky.
In this wake of social media which is cheaper to utilise, a CBT enterprise might be tempted to avoid marketing itself through mass media like televisions, newspapers, magazines and radios. Over-reliance on social media can be detrimental. Can it be realistic for a CBT enterprise that it can lure foreign tourists say from Sweden or Brazil to visit Fairview Falls at Gatsi in Honde Valley or The Big Tree of Chirinda Forest in Chipinge using Twitter, Facebook and Whatsapp only?
Market dynamics
Sometimes a CBT enterprise may chooses to rely on a strictly segmentation of clients, for example domestic or foreign tourists. A strict market segment like foreign tourist is very dangerous since market dynamics are unpredictable. For instance, the current ban by United States of America on the importation of spot-hunted elephant trophies from Zimbabwe and Tanzania is a clear market dynamic. Suppose a CBT enterprise depended solely on foreign spot-hunting tourists, what business would it be making now unless it shifts its market to the other segments or unless the ban is lifted?
Challenges that each and every CBT enterprise may face cannot be uniform. Location of each CBT enterprise is crucial in determining what challenges the CBT entity shall face. Is there any solution to these challenges? The forthcoming article shall discuss the topic.