The four day holiday that catered for the Zambia International Trade Fair also opened up options for many Zambians to go out of town to visit some of the less exotic tourism sites across the country.
The average Zambian looks to go out fishing at nearby rivers and lakes as a worthwhile outing due to the fact that apart from a good clean holiday, one can also bring home a bag of fresh fish to supplement the food basket.
There are countless spots along the shores of our many lakes and banks of our all weather rivers where fishing tourism takes place every weekend. A good case in point is in the Mala area close to Namwala in the Southern Province.
The Kafue river in this area is a beautiful site with natural vegetation and countless cattle. The river is filled with fish of all shapes and sizes that include Bream, Silver Barbel, Vundu, Black Barbel, and the not so pretty Dog Fish. Beginners go out there with just a musing interest in fishing, and after catching thirty fish or more, soon become die hard fishing enthusiasts.
The bird life along the river is vibrant with huge Fish Eagles and Storks punctuating the skyline, while smaller Gulls, wild Ducks and Doves criss-cross the river all day.
Visitors to this area go primarily for the fishing and carry with them camping tents, boats, fishing rods and lots of food and drink. The more enthusiastic tourist will carry portable shower units and toilet systems, and some of the most attractive boats to be seen.
Unfortunately after a long weekend in this rural setting, what remains after all the visitors have gone, is plenty of refuse, plastic bags and bottles, and unsightly and smelly holes in the ground.
Therein lies the opportunity for rural tourism to take off in a meaningful way for the local villages to participate actively, and to benefit strategically from the visitors that hail from our towns and cities.
By engaging the local Chief, Chiefteness or Headman in a rural tourism program, the local people can be the first tour guides to the best fishing spots on the river or lake as determined by their own everyday experiences. Furthermore, purpose built boat launching ramps can be carved out of the soil tapering into the waters so that speed boats can easily be launched.
The current camping fees charged can be expanded to include an ablution fee if the local people can build some quality toilet and shower blocks along the river banks and lake shores. A refuse collection mechanism can be established by the local residents to ensure that the sites are cleaned after the visitors have gone, and this too can attract a small fee. The local culture and traditions should be integrated into the rural tourism program by the provision of drummers, dancers, story tellers, dugout canoes, and some local hired help to make the visitors comfortable, and keep them entertained in the evenings when fishing is no longer possible.
There are many opportunities for local baskets, mats, crafts, and other traditional ornaments to find markets among the visiting tourists each weekend. Some ideas around food preparation would find new customers amongst the visitors.
It is clear that a partnership that includes the Government, the local traditional administration, the private sector, and the many visitors that want to enjoy time out in the clean air, can go a long way to towards developing rural tourism that will embrace all the parties and create a win-win situation for all.
Too often we wait for the big investor to show us opportunities that stare us in the face every day, purely because we fear to take the first step and invest in our own back yards.
Rural tourism does not demand large investments, nor does it require state of the art products. Rural tourism is designed and developed on the resources that are available, and should be interlinked with the lives, cultures, and traditions of the local people in that particular area.
Much of the Japanese and Chinese economy was built on small investors working together to eventually create the economies of scale that allowed them to become significant players in the global economy.
Hopefully, Zambians will adopt a similar strategy modelled on our own peculiarities to make rural tourism a vibrant part of the tourism sector, and eventually evolve into major developments as Zambia becomes more attractive for tourism to both local and foreign tourists.
Published 14 July 2009
If the local rural population takes the lead in creating the services and attractions, they have a better chance of preserving their rural customs and way of life. Large investors come in with profit as their first goal.
ReplyDeleteYour idea of local artisans offering their wares in a location easy for visitors to find and local fishermen offering their knowledge and skills is a great place for a town to start, and it doesn't cost much to get up and running. It is interesting that the issues you discuss are very similar to those facing rural communities in the United States!
Joanne Steele
http://ruraltourismmarketing.com
Our challenges here in Africa include the disconnect between the rural communities and the outside world. Who out there in the rural areas has any idea about what the tourists are looking for? I am sure that this phenomenon is global. There is a lot of room for those often referred to as Exploiters or Middlemen, to build the linkages between rural communities and the urban cities of this world. These intermediaries are often looked down at and yet they provide an essential link to develop economic activities across classes and economic groups. we need to be more creative and to think outside the parameters that modern economists set as good practices. Here in Zambia we are considering using as much of our culture, tradition, tribal peculiarities, and even vivid imagination to conjure up Zambia exclusive tourism products and services. Wish us luck!
ReplyDelete