Tourism Development in the Catchment of Lake Fundudzi to Promote Sustainable Development

In most instances, it can be argued that the resources of a particular area form the basis of its economic development. In the case of the present study, it was found that although the catchment of Lake Fundudzi boasts cultural and natural resources that are regarded as being of significance for tourism, these remain untapped. This study was commissioned with a view to determine the types of tourism that could be developed in order to promote sustainable development in the catchment of Lake Fundudzi. Such types of tourism would not only promote tourism developments that could benefit the local community, but they may also promote the sustainability of tourism resources. Four research teams have been established in order to involve the local community towards the determination of the types of tourism developments by means of Participatory Action Research as a research methodology. The findings of this study confirmed that the catchment of Lake Fundudzi is rich in the cultural and natural resources that can be used towards the development of tourism. Owing to the rich cultural heritage of Lake Fundudzi Catchment, cultural tourism has emerged as the most preferred experience to be offered. In addition, the mountainous nature of the landscape, the abundance of water resources and the rich biological diversity equally support the development of adventure tourism and ecotourism.