Rich South Africans are buying homes in one of the safest countries in Africa
More wealthy South Africans are buying homes in Namibia, ranked as one of the safest countries in Africa, for tax benefits and permanent residency.
The study, published in African Studies Review, found that profits largely flow overseas while local workers and suppliers see little impact.
All-inclusive resorts cut off from local life
Many African governments target luxury tourism development, describing it as "high-value, low-impact," but the research found that this is not always the case.
All-inclusive resorts are often isolated from local communities, hire few local workers, and prevent tourists from spending in nearby areas by providing everything on-site.
Foreign ownership and inequality
The most profitable eco-lodges were foreign-owned, with much of tourist spending flowing to overseas travel agencies, imported food, or repatriated profits.
Luxury tourism can deepen inequality, concentrating profits among foreign operators or a small local elite, while wages for most tourism jobs remain low.
Local tensions rise
The issue is fueling tensions on the ground. Last week, a local activist filed a lawsuit to block the opening of a new Ritz-Carlton luxury safari lodge in Kenya's Maasai Mara reserve.
In Kenya, locals have raised concerns about land grabs by wealthy investors. In Tanzania, protests against the eviction of tens of thousands of Maasai to make way for hunting lodges have led to deadly clashes with police.
Issued on Bizcommunity by Catarina Demony | https://www.bizcommunity.com/article/luxury-tourism-in-africa-causing-more-harm-than-good-new-research-warns-957484a
