The Impacts of Tourism Development at Domboshava National Monument in Zimbabwe

Abstract

Tourism development is regarded as an important means to benefit local communities. The success of tourism in developed countries has inspired Zimbabwe to give recognition to the industry as the main driver in national economic development. This study examines the impacts of tourism development in Zimbabwe using Domboshava National Monument as an exemplar. Fifty questionnaires were distributed to local stakeholders that include monument sites managers, tour guides, tourism developers and community leaders. Descriptive statistics were used to determine the impacts of tourism development. Two key issues were identified in this study and discussed, that is, the benefits of tourism development and the costs of tourism development. Results show that, despite the limitation and development issues at Domboshava National Monument, the positive impacts of tourism development at Domboshava National Monument outweigh the costs accrued by the local community