PICTURE: Chilo Gorge Safari Lodge in Mahenye communal lands in Chipinge is one of the most successful Community Based Tourism enterprises in Zimbabwe.
RURAL communities have been playing a pivotal role in the development of tourism despite the communities facing challenges economically, enviromentally and socially.
Unemployment, environmental degradation and a cracked social bond top the list of most rural communities' challenges. Endorsing the concept of CBT (Community Based Tourism) enterprises may help alleviate such challenges. CBT (sometimes called rural based tourism) enterprises apply mainly to communal areas which are adjacent to a wildlife conservancy or a national game reserve.
Before the turn of the millennium, rural communities adjacent to nature reserves have been benefitting from tourists mostly from selling arts and culture products like traditional dance and hand-made artefacts.
The CBT concept seeks to improve rural livelihoods by empowering them to render, in addition to the arts and culture, eco-tourism initiatives. These include services that were once offered by the mainstream players in tourism like lodges, eating houses, simple camping, natural landscapes, cultural villages and transport. Examples of community based tourism enterprises in Manicaland include Mahenye and Chilo Gorge Safari Lodge in Mahenye communal lands in Chipinge.
United Nations World Tourism Organisation regards the development of CBT enterprises as a way of poverty alleviation. How can a community benefit from a CBT enterprise?
Economically
Agriculture used to be the major source of income in rural areas. With the unpredictable rainfall pattern of today, community based tourism can help people have a sound economic activity throughout the year. A CBT enterprise can hold people from moving away from their native land in search of work. An influx of tourism means that services already available will have consumers. Therefore, a community can sustain itself with the regular cash flow.
Environmentally
The concept of sustainable utilisation of natural resources can be weakened if a community doesn't derive benefits from natural resources. People tend to over exploit and poach if they don't feel the ownership of natural resources. A CBT enterprise can help curb poaching and over exploitation of the resources.
Socially
A CBT enterprise can strengthen the community's sense of belonging. It can also help in the preservation of culture through cultural tourism. Zimbabwe boosts a diversity of cultures, among them, Ndebele, Shona, Tonga, Venda, Tsonga (also known as Shangaan), Tswao (San) and Ndau.
A lot of CBT enterprises can be established in Zimbabwe. It only needs communities to identify the natural resources or heritage sites which can be transformed so that they can lure tourists. One example of such attraction is Chibasane Falls in Ngaone communal lands in Chipinge. Efforts are being made to market the natural ornament.
Commenting on the falls as a cultural tourism site, National Arts Council of Zimbabwe Manicaland Provincial Director Mr Jonah Muchayi said: "Tourism is the chief consumer of arts and culture. Establishment of Chibasane Falls as a CBT enterprise will go a long way in marketing the Ndau culture. Our organisation is working towards coming up with a standard Ndau regalia that can be marketed at Chibasane and any other CBT enterprises that may follow."
Zimbabwe Tourism Authority has faith in Chibasane Falls as a CBT enterprise. ZTA Area Manager for the Lowveld Mrs Marvellous Sengwe said: "Cultural tourists do spend more than what general tourists do. Chibasane Falls is an eco-tourism product that has in addition to its amazing falls, pristine flora and fauna, natural pools, ancient caves and monumental ruins. The communities around there can revolve the product comes on the market."
Can communities on their own be capable of building CBT enterprises without support of the public and private sector? How can the private-public sector relationship be strengthened? The forthcoming article shall discuss the questions.