Wednesday, September 06, 2006
As I travel
By Levi Zeleza Manda
For close to a year now I have been on the road, in the air, in forests and along the lakes and rivers of Malawi. I have travelled to Lakes Chiuta, Malawi, Malombe, Kazuni and yes Chikukutu in Nkhota Kota. As I travel I see unique and attractive animals and vegetation.
During my travels, I have taken photos which I have archived for future generations. During these travels I have met great and determined people who wish this country well. They insist Malawi has potential to make enough money and food from its own natural resources. One such believer in the economic potential tourism holds is John Grossart, owner of Njovu Safari, a tourist lodge along the shores of Nkhota Kota. He says with religious conviction that the entire United Kingdom has 500 bird species but Nkhota Kota alone has over 450 bird species. Bird watchers have been amazed at such bird variety and they keep coming to watch day in day out.
The Mbuna fish attractions of Cape Maclear and Nkhata Bay have been the subject of jingoistic advertisements on the internet, in tourism brochures and directories to attract visitors to Malawi.
Agreed. Malawi is a land of potential as president Mutharika has said several times before. Its potential lies in its natural resources, which can be turned into gold if Malawians, particularly politicians, are willing to stop chasing shadows and instead concentrate on and develop what the country has.
Yes, having minerals can be a source of economic development. But not every country has minerals and mineral deposits are not sustainable. Zambia’s experience with copper should teach Malawi a lesson. Properly managed, natural resources such as our unique fish species are a sustainable source of tourism and money. Communities surrounding Liwonde Wildlife Reserve in Machinga, Majete Wildlife Reserve in Chikwawa and the Nyika-Vwaza belt in Rumphi are working day and night on their resources, including traditional customs and dances, to turn them into community economic enterprises. If only the entire country did the same instead of wallowing vain verbal tirades.
So, as I travel I marvel at the potential of tourism in Malawi. To develop a viable tourism industry Malawi needs to be serious. If cape Maclear is the gateway to seeing the mbuna fish in Lake Malawi, why not tar the road from Mangochi to Cape Maclear, build good not-too-expensive accommodation around the area for tourists, and encourage bankers to operate a branch there.
Tourists do not like travelling with too much hard cash. It is headache for most tourists travelling to Cape Maclear. If they cannot access money at Mangochi or Lilongwe, they will not have any money from anywhere around Cape Maclear. A similar ordeal awaits a traveller between Nkhota Kota and Mzuzu. There is no serious banking service between Salima and Mzuzu which are over 350 km apart. If a traveller runs out of fuel at 6pm, that traveller cannot fill her tank between Salima and Mzuzu.
Probably the most unadulterated and beautiful sites are in Chitipa. But wait, apart from the unfriendly road netwqork, there’s no public transport between Rumphi and Chitipa or between Karonga and Chitipa. Chitipa has no filling station. It has one bank now, gratefully. The undulating hills of Misuku or Chisenga are located nearly 50 km from the Boma and backpackers cannot travel that distance on foot. Even David Livingstone engaged local people to carry him over such long distances.
This is food for thought for the Government and the Malawi Tourism Association (MTA). You cannot expect any big turnout without clean but affordable accommodation, a safe road infrastructure, a reliable transport, a friendly banking system, and indeed a steady source of fuel.
By Levi Zeleza Manda
For close to a year now I have been on the road, in the air, in forests and along the lakes and rivers of Malawi. I have travelled to Lakes Chiuta, Malawi, Malombe, Kazuni and yes Chikukutu in Nkhota Kota. As I travel I see unique and attractive animals and vegetation.
During my travels, I have taken photos which I have archived for future generations. During these travels I have met great and determined people who wish this country well. They insist Malawi has potential to make enough money and food from its own natural resources. One such believer in the economic potential tourism holds is John Grossart, owner of Njovu Safari, a tourist lodge along the shores of Nkhota Kota. He says with religious conviction that the entire United Kingdom has 500 bird species but Nkhota Kota alone has over 450 bird species. Bird watchers have been amazed at such bird variety and they keep coming to watch day in day out.
The Mbuna fish attractions of Cape Maclear and Nkhata Bay have been the subject of jingoistic advertisements on the internet, in tourism brochures and directories to attract visitors to Malawi.
Agreed. Malawi is a land of potential as president Mutharika has said several times before. Its potential lies in its natural resources, which can be turned into gold if Malawians, particularly politicians, are willing to stop chasing shadows and instead concentrate on and develop what the country has.
Yes, having minerals can be a source of economic development. But not every country has minerals and mineral deposits are not sustainable. Zambia’s experience with copper should teach Malawi a lesson. Properly managed, natural resources such as our unique fish species are a sustainable source of tourism and money. Communities surrounding Liwonde Wildlife Reserve in Machinga, Majete Wildlife Reserve in Chikwawa and the Nyika-Vwaza belt in Rumphi are working day and night on their resources, including traditional customs and dances, to turn them into community economic enterprises. If only the entire country did the same instead of wallowing vain verbal tirades.
So, as I travel I marvel at the potential of tourism in Malawi. To develop a viable tourism industry Malawi needs to be serious. If cape Maclear is the gateway to seeing the mbuna fish in Lake Malawi, why not tar the road from Mangochi to Cape Maclear, build good not-too-expensive accommodation around the area for tourists, and encourage bankers to operate a branch there.
Tourists do not like travelling with too much hard cash. It is headache for most tourists travelling to Cape Maclear. If they cannot access money at Mangochi or Lilongwe, they will not have any money from anywhere around Cape Maclear. A similar ordeal awaits a traveller between Nkhota Kota and Mzuzu. There is no serious banking service between Salima and Mzuzu which are over 350 km apart. If a traveller runs out of fuel at 6pm, that traveller cannot fill her tank between Salima and Mzuzu.
Probably the most unadulterated and beautiful sites are in Chitipa. But wait, apart from the unfriendly road netwqork, there’s no public transport between Rumphi and Chitipa or between Karonga and Chitipa. Chitipa has no filling station. It has one bank now, gratefully. The undulating hills of Misuku or Chisenga are located nearly 50 km from the Boma and backpackers cannot travel that distance on foot. Even David Livingstone engaged local people to carry him over such long distances.
This is food for thought for the Government and the Malawi Tourism Association (MTA). You cannot expect any big turnout without clean but affordable accommodation, a safe road infrastructure, a reliable transport, a friendly banking system, and indeed a steady source of fuel.
