An integrated managerial framework towards implementing an ecotourism culture in Zimbabwe

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis study aimed to develop an ecotourism culture framework for Zimbabwe, which, when implemented by stakeholders, will resuscitate the country’s ecotourism industry. The authors propose that an ecotourism culture will assist Zimbabwean tourism managers to achieve the desired levels of ecotourism performance. Zimbabwe (a developing country situated in Southern Africa) has the potential to become a sought-after ecotourism destination, which will aid socio-economic development. An exploratory and interpretive research design with a qualitative approach was followed. The literature reviewed established the basic defining elements of an ecotourism culture, which were confirmed and expanded by conducting semi-structured and in-depth interviews with a sample group of ten ecotourism experts from Zimbabwe, who represented three managerial levels. Grounded theory was used as method to analyse the interview transcripts. The findings indicated that managers are aware of what an ecotourism culture should comprise, but acknowledged non-compliance, mainly due to a lack of leadership and uncertainty of guiding principles on all levels of implementation. An integrated managerial framework, using a tree as a metaphor for ecotourism, was developed. Five key strategies and supportive guiding principles to enable the implementation of an ecotourism culture on strategic and operational levels are discussed using the tree metaphor.