By Amanda Ellen Nicola Jojo
Changes in tourists’ behaviour are opening up new platforms which can contribute significantly to local communities like rural tourism.
According to United Nations World Tourism Organisation, rural tourism presents high potential to stimulate local economic growth and social change because of its complementarity with other economic activities.
Speaking to The Diplomat, Carl Joshua Ncube, the founder of Ekaya, a rural tourism establishment said rural tourism is one of the sustainable development channels through which rural areas can achieve economic, environmental, and sociocultural growth.
“By focusing on the sustainable development goals our rural tourism project seeks to innovate within this context by curating rural projects collaborating with villages and creating new ideas that are sensitive to sustainability and promoting wellness in a rural lifestyle,” he added.
Ncube said they are working hard to promote the idea of rural tourism and also fundraising for their initiatives.
“We have had great engagements with various ministries. There has been a large number of people registering on our platform interested in establishing their own rural tourism business. We have also been accepted to be on the University of Zimbabwe’s Innovation Hub. We continue to take tourists on rural experiences, and we have even been featured on international platforms like TED, The Best Ever Food Review Show (3 million YouTube views),” Ncube stated.
