Resist

While governments and institutions look for solutions to Africa’s poverty,one way to help meet this challenge is within my grasp - to bring tourists into African homes and communities. By staying in these communities, tourists provide income that improves the standards of living.
My model offers a sustainable pro-poor tourism alternative to mass packaged holidays with travel ethos that co-operate with the local hosts to improve their economy and protect their local environments. Accommodation is provided by the hosts in their homes or homesteads. In return the visitors are required to respect and absorb their culture as they provide some immediate economic and social benefits to these communities. Guests help their host families with their daily chores and tasks such as planting, harvesting or even selling their produce at the local market. Hosts arrange for some site-seeing trips for the visitors to get an understanding and appreciation of some of Africa’s magnificent wildlife and scenery. Local language lessons are done and speakers like village elders provide information on the history and heritage of the host community. The program mobilises and helps empower women, who are the main participants in this project, as they welcome and host the visitors.
It is a pity that most governments and tourism institutions do not grasp this concept of locals benefiting from tourism. They are only interested in job creation, investment and tax payment but for who or what(communities around tourist circuits live in abject poverty!) Tourism must benefit the tourist and the locals.
Peter Ongera,
ongerapeter@yahoo.com