Zambia's only listed World Heritage Site is under threat by plans to build a multi-million dollar resort near the world-renowned Victoria Falls, a local environmental organisation is claiming. The government has awarded 220 hectares of land in the 66 sq.km Mosi-O-Tunya National Park at a cost of US$9 million, plus an undisclosed recurring levy, to South Africa's Legacy Group Holdings for development over a 75-year period under a tourism concession programme.
Friday, 15 December 2006
Concerns mount over World Heritage Site status
Monday, 4 December 2006
Golf resort hits rough
The Sunday Times (
December 03, 2006
A group of British tour operators is urging a boycott of a hotel group in
protest against the planned construction of a luxury resort complex at the
Victoria Falls World Heritage Site in
The South African-based Legacy Hotels Group, which owns five-star hotels,
safari lodges and bush camps in Africa’s most popular safari destinations, has
admitted that the vast 18-hole golf resort, comprising two hotels, 500 chalets
and a country club in an important elephant habitat on the banks of the
Zambezi, will cause “irreversible ecological damage” in the area.
Unesco has told the company that the development is “irresponsible” and has
promised a worldwide campaign to discourage tourists from visiting the area.
The British safari operators Expert Africa, Rainbow Tours, Dragoman, Okavango
Tours & Safaris, Aardvark Safaris and Wildlife Worldwide have pledged to
support the boycott, proposed by the ecotravel specialist Tribes.
The director of Tribes, Amanda Marks, said: “We think that a campaign to stop
this development should begin before construction gets under way and the prime
elephant habitat on the banks of the
Source: Golf resort hits rough (The Sunday Times, 03/12/06)
Sunday, 3 December 2006
Victoria Falls hotel fury
The Times (UK), December 02, 2006
Richard Siddle
A plan to build a huge resort in a tiny Unesco national park is causing
widespread anger.
BRITISH tourists are being urged to boycott a South African hotel chain over
plans to build a multimillion-pound resort in a protected area near the
Legacy Resorts & Hotels International, the luxury African hotel chain, was
handed a contract by the Zambian Government to build what will be a £136
million, 450-room hotel complex and golf course on Unesco-protected land in the
Unesco’s World Heritage Committee has already expressed its concerns to the
Zambian authorities over what it sees as the level of “uncontrolled, urban
development, pollution and unplanned tourism development” in the protected park.
British and African tour operators are petitioning fellow companies to boycott
the hotel chain if the deal goes ahead.
A final decision based on the developers’ environmental impact assessment is
expected by December 15.
UK African specialist travel companies, including Tribes, Expert Africa,
Rainbow Tours, Okavango Tours & Safaris, Aardvark Safaris, Dragoman and
Wildlife Worldwide, have signed up to the boycott.
“The travel industry must get together to protest,” said Amanda Marks, managing
director of Tribes. “If we do not, it will set a dangerous precedent in
Roger Diski, managing director of Rainbow Tours, said: “It would be a disaster
if it goes ahead. If you put that number of people into that kind of resort in
that area the pressure on water and services would just be too much.”
John Spence, director, of Aardvark Safaris, said: “The national park is the
size of a postage stamp. It is the only place in
British operators recognise the economic impact a hotel of this size could have
in terms of jobs, but are urging Legacy to look at alternative sites outside
the protected national park.
“We are not against development per se. It is just we do not want the
“We are not saying, don’t build at all, just could it be built successfully
outside the protected area. If it can then it makes a nonsense of this
proposal,” said Dick Sisman, the Association of Independent Tour Operators’
responsible tourism adviser and a member of the World Commission for Protected
Areas.
A number of tour operators in
Legacy says that it is working with the Zambia Wildlife Authority and
Legacy refused to comment directly and instead referred The Times to an NHCC
statement that the development will comply with “both national and
international environmental guidelines for such an ecological and culturally
sensitive site”.
Source: Victoria Falls hotel fury (The Tiimes, 02/12/06)