CHISHIMBA BWALYA
Mumbwa
TOURISM in Kafue National Park has surged over the past three years, with lodge and camp operators crediting the boost to the partnership between African Parks and Government, and conservation initiatives.
In 2022, Government and African Parks signed a 20-year management partnership for Kafue National Park which Kafue National Park,” KPOA would see collaboration in law enforcement as well as raising the tourism profile of the facility.
Three years on, Kafue Park Operators Association (KPOA) says this has helped provide a boost in tourism, with Kasabushi Lodge reporting a rise in tourist arrivals from 500 in 2023 to 1,300 this year.
“In the last three years or so, we have seen the rise in local tourists coming to the treasurer Musonda Katebe said on Saturday on the sidelines of a local football tournament held for Mumbwa residents.
“This is not by accident, it is the awareness being created by the coming of African Parks where part of their mandate is to market the park.”
Mr Katebe, who was speaking on behalf of Paul Barnes, who is KPOA chairperson, said the park has also seen a boost in employment for the local people within Mumbwa, Itezhi-Tezhi, Kasempa and Kaoma districts in whose borders it is housed.
This, he said, also been due to the conservation initiatives like Kafue Wild Run and the local football tournaments which he said are helping the local people to appreciate its management.
“We can’t talk of conservation without engaging the community, without raising awareness. And the Kafue Wild Run is one such initiative because it pulls numbers from outside the country.”
Kasabushi Camp manager Quintin Smith said more initiatives could have positive impact on the park, with local people having more interest in getting employed.
He, however, noted that there is need to change the perception that tourism is only for foreigners.
“Having initiatives like this helps the surrounding communities to get involved,” he said.
Kaingu Lodge proprietor Gilmour Dickson called for a “soft approach” to tackling poaching, saying the local people need to be brought on board to co-exist with managers.
“We are not just chasing poachers, we are providing employment. We are going above and beyond.
“Soft initiatives of fighting poaching are ultimately important… A national park like Kafue can only exit if there is goodwill of the people, and that means employment and trickledown effect.”
Mr Dickson’s remarks come on the back of continued efforts by both Government and AP to contain poaching in the park since 2022.
