Nature-Based Tourism at Lake Kariba Amidst Political-Economic Crises, Climate Change and COVID-19

Tourism at Lake Kariba commenced in the immediate years after its creation. Since then, the industry has contributed to local economic growth and the gross domestic product (GDP) of both Zambia and Zimbabwe. Before Zimbabwe attained its independence in 1980, the industry was dominated by white people who owned boats, lodges and other recreational facilities, but after independence, the number of blacks involved in the tourism sector increased. Tourism at Lake Kariba is ‘nature-based’ in that tourists are attracted by its natural features such as wild animals, islands and sunsets. Visitors at Kariba come from all over the world. This chapter critically discusses the prevalence of nature-based tourism in and around Lake Kariba. Though the lake is man-made, it is surrounded by many spectacular natural geographical features. However, tourism at Lake Kariba has not been without problems. Over time, many external factors have impacted on it in terms of profitability and viability. Threats to sustainable tourism in Kariba include the political-economic crises in Zimbabwe, climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic. These challenges have at times temporally deterred visitors from interacting with the waterscape. In addition, there has been a notable decrease even in interaction between the waterscape and the local people in certain instances.