Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
value from the industry. Increasing the size of the industry will not necessarily
contribute to its sustainability or the achievement of the biodiversity, social or
economic objectives of the TFCA, particularly in the light of survey results that
show leakages of revenue, operating expenditures, profits and salaries are already
a feature of the industry. Relying on passive rather than pro-active approaches to
tourism development will mean that benefits from growth remain trickle-down in
nature, and will be unlikely to achieve the 'triple bottom line' sustainability desired
by the KAZA TFCA. Further, it is not certain that increases in tourist numbers
are desirable, or even appropriate across the whole of the KAZA region - particu-
larly given the ecological sensitivity of some areas, combined with the fact that
some areas, according to anecdotal evidence, are already close to saturation (see
Perkins, 2005). In order to maximize impacts at the local level, additional strate-
gies will be required, as discussed below.
Local employment
Employment impacts positively on local livelihoods and economies, and in the
KAZA region, the employment of locals in the tourism industry is already high
(approximately 94 per cent across the region). However, few seem to be
employed in management or supervisory positions (except in Victoria Falls), the
benefits of which are obvious when examining the differences in average wages
across the region and the difference between local and non-local salaries. This
deficiency could be addressed by improving the skills base of local employees
through the provision of appropriate training. In terms of ensuring positive
impacts of employment in the tourism industry, it is vital that living wages are
paid to all employees - particularly in light of the finding that tourism has been
noted as paying, on average, 20 per cent less than other economic sectors (ILO,
2001 cited in Mastny, 2001).
Local participation
One of the key strategies of the KAZA initiative should be to increase the
participation and success of local entrepreneurs in the tourism industry. While
half of enterprises are already locally owned, the financial returns to these entre-
preneurs - and in particular to black-owned enterprises - are low in absolute
terms (i.e. revenues and profits generated) as well as relatively (i.e. compared to
the corporates). Increasing local participation and crucially, increasing the
returns to local operators, will require significant commitments of resources for
capacity building, skills development, tourism and business training. The avail-
ability of financial resources targeted specifically at improving the profitability
of existing locally owned enterprises and enabling new local businesses to open
will be vital to maximizing the flow of benefits from the initiative to the local
economy.
Partnerships
Many of the sites of high tourism development potential within the KAZA TFCA
fall on communal land. In such areas, where local entrepreneurs tend not to have
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