Tourism development activities in Chisuma communal area in Hwange Rural District, Zimbabwe

In Victoria Falls, development of tourism dates back to around 1900 after the arrival of the railway line from Cape Town, completion of the Victoria Falls hotel and the bridge. In recent years, tourism activities have been spreading to the peri-urban area of Chisuma Communal Area (CCA) along the Batoka Gorges, downstream of the Victoria Falls. Tourism development in the study area was accelerated by the 2010 World Cup soccer tournament hosted by South Africa and the United Nations World Tourism Organisation co-hosted by Zimbabwe and Zambia. This has resulted in construction of lodges along the gorges displacing the local communities from their original villages. This paper examines the expansion and development of tourism in the CCA. Tourism development activities were found to be negatively impacting on the local area through deforestation, land degradation, displacement and social cultural erosion. To some extent, it was also found to be bringing in new livelihood strategies such as employment and development of infrastructure that are crucial for the development of the local communities.