Training for Desert Kayak Trail, Namibia

    Cooperation in action Southern Africa: Fostering cross-border nature tourism

    The natural environment and the cultural diversity of Southern Africa attract visitors from all over the world. The number of international tourist arrivals in the region in 2017 was about 25 million, and it is expected that it will rise to more than 40 million over the next ten years

    Protecting the natural and cultural heritage and using it in a sustainable way is a key prerequisite for continued good development of tourism in the region.


    Sustainable management of protected areas

    The ecosystems of Southern Africa are under threat because of population growth and the resulting increased need for agricultural land. The deforestation rate in the region is the highest in all of Africa. Poaching remains a problem, including in protected areas.

    In order to conserve biodiversity, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) supports the establishment of transboundary protected areas and helps develop programmes and strategies for their sustainable management. Germany is supporting this process through its programme for climate resilience and natural resource management.

    Germany has been working with the SADC Secretariat to improve the marketing of transboundary protected areas and to develop tourism programmes together with international and regional tour operators. Since 2017, technical and financial support has been provided to Southern Africa in order to enable it to take part in international tourism fairs such as ITB in Berlin and World Travel Market (WTM) Africa in Cape Town.

    Making sure that local people benefit from tourism value chains

    Local people work as tourist guides for river and safari tours. They look after tourists and provide them with information.

    Local people work as tourist guides for river and safari tours. They look after tourists and provide them with information.

    The programmes are intended to ensure that local people will benefit from the protected areas. Transboundary tourism programmes help to create jobs. One example is the Desert Kayak Trail, which tourists can follow in order to explore the |Ai-|Ais/Richtersveld Transfrontier Park in Namibia and South Africa by water and by land. Local people are able to work as guides, look after tourists and provide lodging and food for them.

    Project data

    Envisaged duration: January 2021 to December 2024

    Financial volume: 8 million euros

    to the overview page on tourism

    As at: 25/05/2022