Travel to Africa is space travel of a different kind – Travel Weekly

Protecting open spaces from overtourism

Overtourism was a major concern prior to the pandemic. From Amsterdam to Venice, New Zealand to the national parks in the U.S., destinations worldwide were dealing with too many tourists.

Although the pandemic brought travel largely to a standstill, the scourge of overtourism is once again looming large. Rousseau points out that mankind's unsustainable production and consumption patterns has led to the planet losing nature faster than it can be restored.

Rousseau said she believes, however, that this decade is set to be defined by transformation and regeneration.

And Rwanda, Banda said, is the perfect example of regeneration and preservation of open spaces. The destination charges $1,000 for a gorilla permit that allows travelers to spend one hour with gorillas. The money is partially invested in protecting gorilla habitats, and as a result mountain gorilla numbers have surpassed 1,000 in the wild for the first time in 50 years.

The low-volume, high-value tourism in Rwanda can stand as a model to conservation efforts in the remote open spaces in Africa, according to Liz Loftus, a private travel designer for Alluring Africa.

Following that example, remote, sensitive ecosystems in Africa will survive and then thrive, she said, adding that conservation, community and open spaces go hand in hand. Impact is what we need to be cognizant of in the future. Low impact is only possible with low-volume, high-value tourism.

Suzanne Bayly, owner of Classic Portfolio, said there is no doubt this model is exceptionally beneficial for the environment, but it is important to ask who benefits from the high value. Is it larger companies that can invest at this level and get a commercial return, or it is the community and conservation stakeholders?

Bayly said that, with the price point of an average safari in Botswana and Rwanda set at over $1,000 per person, per night, it's important to be careful not to become a continent that is only available to the super rich. Africa is enormous, she said. We have loads of wild spaces that can be explored, exciting opportunities that can not only further conservation efforts but be truly inclusive of communities. We need to see a dramatic increase in tourism numbers, and the best outcome would be to have a variety of experiences at different price points and levels of comfort or luxury that appeal to as many travelers as possible.

It's not an easy balance to find, according to Raza Visram, director of AfricanMecca Safaris. He said that the low-volume, high-value tourism model can only be implemented in countries with low populations. Botswana has a population of only 2 million people. However, countries like Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa and Uganda, all with populations over 42 million, are hungry for employment opportunities.

Dealing in volume brings in more tourists and reduces costs, but volume tourism doesn't mean more land can't be protected for conservation and open spaces, Visram said. We can cap the number of camps and lodges being built, limit the environmental impact and still follow a high-quality model and provide value.

See the original post here:

Travel to Africa is space travel of a different kind - Travel Weekly