ZAMBIA | DOMESTIC TRAVEL
The River Flows On WRITER: EMMA WOOD PHOTOGRAPHY: EMMA WOOD
itting on the banks of the Kafue River my metaphorical musings brought me to this thought: that as much as humans have had to adapt, rethink and modify their behaviour through millennia, decades and very specifically, recent months, rivers too have been forced to change their course over time. They don’t just stop. They will adapt their route, meander around tougher terrain and cut through weaker rock…but they always continue onwards. Tourism is just one of the many industries around the globe that has been severely affected by this present pandemic, but in Zambia tourism is critical. It is not only a significant and immediate source of revenue for the country, but it is also a key component in the conservation of our natural resources for future generations. Remarkably, despite negligible international visitor arrivals into Zambia this year, we can see that our tour operators are not stopping. They, like our rivers, are adapting as best as they can in order to continue onwards. Ian Stephenson, CEO of Conservation Lower Zambezi, explains. ‘For those of us in conservation it is a challenging time. We are facing a double-edged sword. With reduced tourism comes lower revenue for our valiant law enforcement officers and DNPW (Department of National Parks and Wildlife) rangers. Yet it is at times of hardship like these, where people have few options and need to feed their families that they may turn to criminality and poaching despite the increase in successful prosecutions. We need
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TRAVEL & LEISURE | ISSUE 17 | NOVEMBER 2020–APRIL 2021
domestic tourism more than ever to help us support our wildlife protection efforts which in turn sustain the local communities.’ Over one million international visitors alone spent an estimated ZMK8 billion representing over eight per cent of the total Zambian exports. Travel and tourism was Zambia’s fastest-growing economic sector, contributing approximately ZMK20 billion in revenue and 400,000 jobs to the national economy while posting more than +6% GDP*, making it the fastest and most bullish sector in the country...until this year. Vincent Kouwenhoven of Green Safaris has this to say. ‘We are all about travelling with a purpose and being able to contribute to conservation and community development. We are proud that we’ve
