CAMPFIRE diversifies into community based tourism

Harare (New Ziana)-Zimbabwe’s world-renowned Communal Areas Management Programme for Indigenous Resources (CAMPFIRE)’s has diversified from wildlife-based trophy hunting to community-based tourism.

Tourists have visited Zimbabwe’s rural areas for many years but the local communities were rarely involved or benefited from the tourism until a few pilot projects were set up by CAMPFIRE in the early 1990’s.

CAMPFIRE Association projects officer, Kevin Mfishani revealed the development and said the community-based tourism facilities consist of low-cost, high volume basic over-night accommodation, rudimentary camping, day visitor cultural centres and craft shops in communal lands, which were funded through infrastructure grants from the United States Agency for International Development.

“Between 1999-2003, CAMPFIRE Association established the CAMPFIRE Development Fund with the community-based tourism initiative as one of its thrust but had never been implemented,” said Mfishani.

“The new projects, which are community-based, are expected to create employment and generate income for the local people through the sale of various goods and services,” he added.

At its inception in 1989, the CAMPFIRE program had a heavy focus on trophy hunting, mostly big animals such as elephants and buffaloes.
New Ziana