Problems Facing Tourism and Prospects for Sustainable Development

30 min

Let's begin

In 2019 Rwanda earned US$498 million from tourism. In March 2020 COVID-19 closed borders and grounded flights, and in 2020 the figure fell to US$121 million (Rwanda Development Board). Lodges emptied, guides and drivers lost their income, and park budgets for rangers came under pressure. Tourism recovered (to US$445 million in 2022 and US$685 million in 2025, RDB), but the shock showed how fragile it can be. What threatens tourism in Africa, and how can it grow without destroying the things visitors come to see?

Definition

Sustainable tourism: tourism that meets the needs of today's visitors and hosts while protecting the environment, culture and income for future generations. Ecotourism: responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people. Leakage: the part of tourist spending that leaves the host country, for example profits of foreign-owned hotels and payments for imported goods.

Problems facing tourism in Africa

Insecurity and political instability: wars, terrorism and crime keep visitors away; travel warnings from foreign governments can empty a destination overnight.
Disease outbreaks: Ebola in West Africa (2014–2016), COVID-19 (from 2020) and Marburg in Rwanda (September to December 2024) all cut arrivals.
Poaching and loss of habitat: elephants, rhinoceroses and pangolins are killed for ivory, horn and scales; farms and settlements push into wildlife areas.
Environmental damage: off-road driving and crowding around animals (see the photo below), litter, pressure on water, erosion on trails and pollution of beaches and reefs.
Human–wildlife conflict: animals leaving parks raid crops and threaten people, turning neighbours against conservation.
Leakage: when hotels, airlines and tour companies are foreign-owned and food is imported, much of the money leaves the country.
High costs and long distances: long-haul flights from Europe, America and Asia are expensive, and some parks are hard to reach.
Seasonality: rainy seasons and the tourists' own holiday periods create busy and empty months.
Shortage of skills and poor services in some areas: too few trained guides, chefs and managers.
Climate change: droughts, floods and shrinking glaciers (as on Kilimanjaro) threaten wildlife and scenery.
Cultural erosion: traditions may be turned into shows for visitors, and some tourist behaviour offends local values.
Competition between African destinations and with the rest of the world.

Prospects: making tourism sustainable

Problem	Solution and example
Too many visitors disturbing wildlife	Limit numbers and charge high fees: in Rwanda, gorilla groups have at most 8 visitors and stay for one hour (RDB rules)
Poaching and lost wildlife	Rangers, community scouts and reintroductions: lions returned to Akagera in 2015 and black rhinoceroses in 2017 (African Parks and RDB)
Neighbours gain nothing	Revenue sharing (10% of park revenue in Rwanda), community-based tourism such as cultural villages, jobs for local people
Dependence on foreign visitors	Promote domestic and regional tourism, for example RDB's "Tembera u Rwanda" campaign and the East Africa Tourist Visa for Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda (from 2014)
Dependence on one attraction	Diversify: conferences, sport, culture, birdwatching, hiking (Congo Nile Trail), lake tourism
Leakage	Encourage local ownership, buy local food and crafts, train nationals as managers
Disease and disasters	Health screening and preparedness, insurance and support funds for tourism businesses
Environmental damage	Stay on tracks, manage waste, use solar power and rainwater, build eco-lodges, enforce rules on driving near animals

Definition

Carrying capacity: the largest number of visitors an area can receive without unacceptable damage to its environment or to the visitors' experience. Community-based tourism: tourism owned or managed by local communities, so they control it and keep its benefits.

Worked example

Worked example 1: the COVID-19 shock. Rwanda's tourism revenue fell from US$498 million in 2019 to US$121 million in 2020 (RDB). Calculate the percentage fall.

Fall = 498 − 121 = 377. Percentage fall = 377 ÷ 498 × 100 ≈ 75.7%. Roughly three-quarters of the income disappeared in one year.

Worked example

Worked example 2: leakage. A visitor pays US$3,000 for a package holiday. US$1,800 goes to a foreign airline, a foreign tour company and imported food and drinks. What percentage stays in the host country? (Illustrative figures.)

Amount kept = 3,000 − 1,800 = US$1,200. Percentage kept = 1,200 ÷ 3,000 × 100 = 40%; the leakage is 60%. A national airline, locally owned lodges and local food all raise the share that stays.

Worked example

Worked example 3: carrying capacity. A park has 6 habituated gorilla families open to visitors, and each may receive one group of at most 8 visitors a day. What is the largest number of gorilla visits possible in a 30-day month? (Illustrative number of families.)

Per day: 6 × 8 = 48 visitors. Per month: 48 × 30 = 1,440 visitors. The limit protects the gorillas, so income must come from the price, not the numbers.

Warning

"Sustainable" does not mean "no tourism". It means tourism that keeps going for the long term, because it protects the resources it depends on and shares its benefits fairly. In an essay, show all three parts of Figure 1.

African Parks: moving seven lions to Akagera National Park in 2015 to start a new population. As you watch, note how the reintroduction helps both conservation and tourism.

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Practice

Define ecotourism, leakage and carrying capacity.
Give five problems facing tourism in Africa.
Explain how a disease outbreak can harm tourism, using a named example.
Describe two ways in which Rwanda protects its mountain gorillas while earning from them.
Rwanda's tourism revenue rose from US$164 million in 2021 to US$445 million in 2022 (RDB). Calculate the percentage increase.
A tourist spends US$2,500, and 30% of it leaks abroad. How much stays in the host country?
Suggest three ways to reduce human–wildlife conflict around a national park.
"Revenue sharing is the key to the future of tourism in Rwanda." Discuss.

Show answersHide answers

Ecotourism: responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves local well-being. Leakage: tourist spending that leaves the host country. Carrying capacity: the largest number of visitors an area can take without unacceptable damage.
Any five: insecurity; disease outbreaks; poaching; environmental damage; human–wildlife conflict; leakage; high travel costs; seasonality; shortage of skills; climate change; cultural erosion; competition.
Visitors cancel trips and governments close borders or advise against travel, so arrivals and income fall. Example: COVID-19 cut Rwanda's tourism revenue from US$498 million (2019) to US$121 million (2020); or Marburg in 2024; or Ebola in West Africa, 2014–2016.
Any two: limit visitors to small groups for one hour; charge a high permit fee; employ trackers and rangers; share revenue with communities so they protect the park; enforce rules such as keeping a distance.
Increase = 445 − 164 = 281; 281 ÷ 164 × 100 ≈ 171%.
70% of 2,500 = US$1,750.
Any three: buffer zones and fences or trenches; compensation for crop losses; revenue sharing so communities gain from wildlife; growing crops animals dislike (such as chilli); community wildlife scouts; education.
For: when communities gain schools, clinics and water, they protect parks instead of encroaching. Against: 10% alone cannot stop poaching, disease shocks or climate change; rangers, diversification, marketing and peace also matter. A good answer reaches a balanced judgement.

1Problems facing tourism in Africa

2Prospects: making tourism sustainable

Problems facing tourism in Africa

Prospects: making tourism sustainable