The Impact of Safari
We strongly believe that travel should be a force for good, helping to preserve ecosystems, create jobs, and finance vital infrastructure in the rural areas of the country guests are visiting.
The future of conservation in East Africa is a symbiotic relationship between long-term commercial investment, nature-positive travel, and thriving ecosystems. Conservation is expensive. Setting land aside for wildlife and managing the protection of that space comes at a cost. Traditional funding models, that rely on short-term grants or single revenue sources like ecotourism, have failed to deliver sustainable long-term conservation for these areas. Revenue needs to be generated, through diverse sources to make conservation of the land financially viable.
Tourism can and does contribute as an important revenue stream in these threatened ecosystems. While international travel is often seen as a contributor to climate change, nature-based leisure travel, done well, can also help to address this global challenge. To put this into perspective, we look at some of the impact of safari in Africa.
Kenya
The travel and tourism industry represented 8.1% of the country’s total Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2019 and supported in the region of 1.6 million tourism-related jobs.
Tanzania
Tourism is responsible for approximately 6.2% of total employment in the country and also provides 100% funding for the Tanzania National Parks Authority (Tanapa) who manage all Tanzania’s national parks covering approximately 15% of the land area. 10.7% of Tanzania’s GDP is generated by tourism.
Botswana
Home to the world’s largest elephant population, the tourism industry contributes 11.5% to the country’s GDP, and provides around 26,000 jobs within the sector.
South Africa
Tourism is one of the fastest growing economic sectors in South Africa. contributing 7.1% of GDP. Sanparks, who manage South Africa’s national parks, generate 80% of their operating budget through tourism.
Zambia
30% of Zambia’s land area is protected, fully funded by tourism.
While tourism significantly contributes as a revenue stream it’s important to recognise that it isn’t enough on its own. The solution must focus on growing revenues for communities through multiple funding streams. It’s critical for success that we change the economic model and incentives of these areas. Ultimately, Nawiri advocates for and is working towards supporting diverse, sustainable funding streams beyond ecotourism to ensure the long-term viability of conservation areas.
If you can make wilderness into an asset that generates more money in its natural state than not, and you equip the communities that live in these spaces to manage them effectively, then you have the right recipe to ensure conservation works.