Papers by Dzingai Nyahunzvi
Integrating development and conservation through tourism in southern Africa: a poisoned chalice?
This paper reports on the findings of an exploratory study on the level of environmental awarenes... more This paper reports on the findings of an exploratory study on the level of environmental awareness and engagement among Gweru urban lodges. The study‟s data collection instruments were a survey questionnaire, personal observations, follow-up interviews and document analysis. The key finding of the study was that there were low levels of ecoliteracy and environmental awareness and consequently, limited „green actions‟ undertaken by lodge managers. It was also found that not a single tourist lodge had a formal written environmental policy whilst the lodge managers expressed a need for the provision of information and education around green tourism. A conclusion is reached that this study‟s findings are consistent with studies elsewhere that bemoan the limited nature of green actions undertaken by tourism Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs). The study ends with recommendations and an indication of future research priorities.
The Changing Nature of National Parks under Neoliberalization
Neoliberalism and the Political Economy of Tourism
The physical impacts of tourism in Zimbabwe: the state of the art
This paper highlights and analyses the physical impacts of tourism as recorded by researchers. Th... more This paper highlights and analyses the physical impacts of tourism as recorded by researchers. The main aim is to delineate the boundaries of the existing knowledge on the physical impacts of tourism and hopefully, inspire intensified research efforts. The dominant methodology adopted by most researchers on the subject has been the case study approach. However, these site specific studies though revealing, are few and confined to limited areas of the country. The impact studies are also charactA©rised by the absence of follow up studies and failure to take note of either indirect and induced or short term and long term impacts. The paper concludes that there is an urgent need for detailed, consistent and well coordinated research efforts from all stakeholders to ensure a symbiotic relationship between tourism and the environment in Zimbabwe
The resurgence in resource nationalism and private protected areas: through the lens of Save Valley Conservancy's indigenisation
Journal for Nature Conservation, 2014
It has been observed that the resurgence in resource nationalism in the past decade worldwide has... more It has been observed that the resurgence in resource nationalism in the past decade worldwide has profound implications for all economic sectors including protected areas. However, a review of the international protected area literature reveals a paucity of studies that make use of the construct of resource nationalism as an analytical framework. This paper addresses this gap by bringing to the fore how Zimbabwe's ZANU PF (the political party that brought the country's independence in 1980) has deployed and extended this construct from the 2000 land reform programme to one of the world's largest private wildlife sanctuaries, namely the Save Valley Conservancy (SVC). In doing so, the paper relies extensively on the narratives, debates and legitimations of the ruling elite and other stakeholders around the recent ‘indigenisation’ of the SVC. It was found that a range of actors attempted to use resource nationalism as a ‘resource’ to further their own private economic and p...
Winners and losers: local perceptions of Kruger National Park's commercialisation process
This paper explores through a neoliberal lens the implications of Kruger National Park‟s (KNP) ... more This paper explores through a neoliberal lens the implications of Kruger National Park‟s (KNP) “Commercialisation for conservation process†(hereafter the commercialisation process, for brevity‟s sake) that was launched in 2000. In doing so, the paper answers a clarion call for empirical research in this under-researched area of tourism-protected area partnerships in particular (Wilson, Nielsen & Buultjens, 2009) and the broader neoliberalisation of nature literature in general (Castree 2008a, 2008b; Himley, 2008). Note that the paucity of empirical studies of neoliberalisation globally (Heynen, McCarthy, Prudham, & Robbins, 2007) partially accounts for the existing hegemony of neoliberal development orthodox (King, 2009).
Recreation and Society in Africa Asia and Latin America, Jan 21, 2013
This study sought to unravel the perceptions of Chinotimba residents surrounding the tangible and... more This study sought to unravel the perceptions of Chinotimba residents surrounding the tangible and intangible legacy of the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup. This mega-event, although hosted by South Africa, was framed as a continental event that would unleash considerable spin-offs, particularly for the neighbouring countries in the Southern African Development Community region. In line with this dominant representation of the event, hereinafter, rhetoric, the Zimbabwean government announced a raft of measures that were aimed at leveraging maximum benefits from the mega-event for the nation at large. Using interpretive methods, this study engaged thirty willing residents of Chinotimba high density suburb in semistructured interviews to better understand the legacy of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. In addition, the perceptions of Chinotimba residents were compared with the rhetoric that was produced by the country's ruling elite and representatives of private tourism businesses. Field evidence suggested that Chinotimba residents could not identify any major tangible or intangible benefits of the World Cup. The majority could only speculate that tourism operators were the major beneficiaries. In stating this, the residents expressed misgivings with regard to the disjuncture between the rhetoric and their livelihoods, which largely remained untouched by the mega-event. A key conclusion of this study is that mega-events are not apolitical processes; rather mega-events are capable of producing both empowerment and disempowerment among local non-host communities. Besides calling for 'coal-face' perspectives of mega-events, this paper urges for research that acknowledges the politicised nature of mega-events.
The conservation and development implications of Kruger National Park's commercialisation process: Through a neoliberal lens
The conservation and development implications of Kruger National Park's commercialisatio... more The conservation and development implications of Kruger National Park's commercialisation process: Through a neoliberal lens. Otago University Research Archive. Login. ...
This paper explores the manner in which organizations that facilitate volunteering experiences (h... more This paper explores the manner in which organizations that facilitate volunteering experiences (hereinafter, facilitators) to Zimbabwe frame, package and promote voluntourism. Through an analysis of the facilitators' websites, this study establishes inter alia, the forms, cost and duration of voluntourism experiences including the nature of organizations involved. In doing so, this study shifts attention to an important but oft-neglected aspect of voluntourism in the international tourism literature, that is, facilitators. Much more importantly, the paper documents and critically examines the narratives deployed by facilitators to entice potential volunteers. A common thread that runs through the facilitators' online representations is that voluntourism makes a 'real difference' to poverty-stricken 'others' and to animal welfare. Voluntourism is also presented as a 'win-win' phenomenon to a range of stakeholders including facilitators, volunteers, poor communities and wildlife. However, it was observed that this dominant framing of volunteerism may be challenged by, for example, travel bloggers' narratives and experiences and independent information searches by potential voluntourists. It is on this basis that this paper argues that facilitators need to present accurate, balanced and realistic descriptions as potential voluntourists have several online tools at their disposal to interrogate 'dominant' representations. Furthermore, it is important to realize that any mismatch between facilitators' representations and 'coal-face' experiences of volunteering will lead to post-purchase dissonance, bad 'electronic word of mouth' recommendations and other adverse 'bottom-line' effects. The paper further identifies several other managerial implications and future research priorities.
Tour guiding in Zimbabwe: Key issues and challenges
Although it is widely documented that tour guides can make or break a tour, there is limited rese... more Although it is widely documented that tour guides can make or break a tour, there is limited research around the key issues and challenges facing the tour guiding profession, globally. Against this backdrop, this study brings to the fore the key issues and challenges facing Zimbabwe's tour guiding profession. Data for this study was collected through mainly semi-structured interviews that were held with a range of stakeholders. The multi-stakeholder approach adopted in this study aimed to capture emic views in line with prior research. Findings suggested a matrix of challenges that faced the tour guiding profession including lack of job security, low remuneration, a limited and expensive training curricular and low career development opportunities. Key among the paper's recommendations is that the depressed tourism environment obtaining in Zimbabwe among other constraints has to be addressed as a matter of urgency. The paper also indicates future research priorities.
Negotiating livelihoods among Chivi curio traders in a depressed Zimbabwe tourism trading environment
Anatolia, 2014
This study critically examines the interactions of some Chivi curio traders with Zimbabwe's d... more This study critically examines the interactions of some Chivi curio traders with Zimbabwe's depressed tourism trading environment. Findings indicated that curio trading made a marginal contribution to local livelihoods as a result of a slump in international tourism demand. Furthermore, the curio traders’ attempts to exploit the domestic tourism market were penalized by potential buyers’ low disposable incomes. It was established that the curio traders’ extreme household poverty and limited livelihood options compelled them to adopt a “survivalist” mindset. A conclusion is reached that without a radical improvement of a mix of endogenous and exogenous factors, curio trading is bound to remain a fringe activity in the study area.
CSR reporting among Zimbabwe's hotel groups: a content analysis
International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 2013
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to determine the nature and adequacy of corporate social r... more Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to determine the nature and adequacy of corporate social responsibility (CSR) reporting among Zimbabwe's hotel groups.Design/methodology/approach – Content analysis was used to examine websites, annual reports and mission statements of Zimbabwe's hotel groups.Findings – Zimbabwe's hotel groups gave primacy to financial performance rather than social and environmental themes in their CSR reporting. In comparative terms, the hotel groups lag behind some of their developed world's counterparts in CSR reporting.Research limitations/implications – Future studies may examine the actual CSR practices adopted by Zimbabwe's tourism and hospitality sector. Research efforts should also be directed towards producing a framework to guide the effective design of CSR dedicated pages on corporate websites.Practical implications – The research findings suggest that CSR initiatives and reporting are still a peripheral issue among Zimbabwe's hotel groups. A need for legal compulsion an...
This study sought to unravel the perceptions of Chinotimba residents surrounding the tangible and... more This study sought to unravel the perceptions of Chinotimba residents surrounding the tangible and intangible legacy of the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup. This mega-event, although hosted by South Africa, was framed as a continental event that would unleash considerable spin-offs, particularly for the neighbouring countries in the Southern African Development Community region. In line with this dominant representation of the event, hereinafter, rhetoric, the Zimbabwean government announced a raft of measures that were aimed at leveraging maximum benefits from the mega-event for the nation at large. Using interpretive methods, this study engaged thirty willing residents of Chinotimba high density suburb in semi-structured interviews to better understand the legacy of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. In addition, the perceptions of Chinotimba residents were compared with the rhetoric that was produced by the country’s ruling elite and representatives of private tourism businesses. Field evidence ...
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Papers by Dzingai Nyahunzvi