Sustainable Tourism Education in Zimbabwe

The travel industry in Zimbabwe today is the third largest foreign currency earner after agricultural produce mainly tobacco exports and mining products. Tourism and hospitality makes an important and significant contribution to Zimbabwe’s economy in terms of employment creation contribution to the balance of payments support and as a stimulator of capital for investments in both urban and rural areas. Tourism development is however grounded on the country’s unique cultural and natural heritage which is made up of sensitive ecosystems encompassing national parks and wildlife. The increasing investments in tourism may cause adverse long term effects of developments in biodiversity and loss of wildlife. It is therefore vital that communities living next to tourist attractions be educated so that they practise eco-tourism or sustainable tourism as a matter of priority. The focus of this book is to identify such a curriculum for the education of primary school learners and for the training of rural communities living within or neighbouring tourism resorts and attractions.