SAFARI - Overbooked: The Exploding Business of Travel and Tourism - page 161

Zambia, though, has benefited from several decades of foreign aid, which has had a dir-
ect impact on its tourism industry. One of the more generous countries has been Norway.
Over the last fifteen years, the Norwegian government has given Zambia at least $715 mil-
lion in development aid, including money to underwrite wildlife conservation and man-
agement in South Luangwa National Park.
In effect, the northern country famous for fjords, tundra, reindeer and the Arctic mid-
night sun saved this semitropical park with its herds of great mammals and four hundred
different bird species. And they did it for the tourists, as well as the environment and con-
servation, of course.
In assessing its aid to South Luangwa, the Norwegian government said it is pleased with
its investment. Thanks to money to improve the park's ranger corps, wholesale poaching of
elephants has ended. “Wildlife populations have been protected and stabilized, through
greatly improved patrolling effort and success,” said a government report issued in 2007.
Tourism is up. Local communities benefited from the aid, and villagers have shown great-
er respect for the park, especially since the increase in tourism has improved their lives
and provided new jobs through spin-offs like handicraft industries.
But the Norwegian government wasn't happy with the way the foreign aid was often
spent and the recent difficulty in getting a full and open accounting of the funds. For in-
stance, the report notes “political interference in ZAWA by powerful individuals.” That is
a pointed reference to political appointees who could not account for the money given by
Norway. When Norway asked for an audit that showed how its aid had been spent, ZAWA
delayed and delayed. There were other problems, including roads that Andy Hogg com-
plained were so poorly maintained. “The relatively large expenditure on roads across all
phases, and their ongoing low quality despite these efforts, could be judged inefficient as
well as ineffective,” said the report. That is a polite way of saying that the money for roads
disappeared into the pockets of officials or was paid to cronies who did a crummy job.
And also that thinly stretched government budgets had other priorities to attend to, such
as health and education.
Enough was enough and recently Norway announced it was phasing out its aid for
South Luangwa. But Trond Lovdal, the first secretary at the Norwegian embassy in Lu-
saka, said that his country was proud of its work in South Luangwa. Norwegian aid protec-
ted animals, insuring South Luangwa would remain a sanctuary which, in turn, attracted
foreign tourists. Those tourists would help underwrite the park as a sanctuary.
“Norway's continuous and long-term support of the park has been one of the reasons
for its relative success,” he said.
Andy Hogg said that the Norwegian aid did help create a mini tourist boom, but it
hasn't been enough. Hogg came to the unhappy realization that he needed a considerable
sum of money to upgrade his lodge and camps and attract high-end tourists. He put his
company up for sale. Fortunately for him, a generous angel came to his rescue. He sold the