Delphine Kessy
The concept of decolonizing travel has gained attention in recent years as a critical approach to re-examining the colonial histories that continue to shape global tourism. Colonialism not only exploited tourism resources but also imposed narratives that often sidelined local voices, particularly in formerly colonized regions like Africa.
In Tanzania, the legacy of colonialism is deeply embedded in the tourism industry. In terms of infrastructure, during the colonial period railways, roads, and ports were established primarily to facilitate the extraction of resources such as cotton, coffee, sisal, cashew nut, clove and minerals. Apart from the common narratives imposed by the famous Thomas Cook in the mid-19th century, the modern day tourism especially in Africa is perceived as a business that emerged from colonial exploration and exploitation. The colonial powers framed the „exotic“ destinations as places to be conquered or consumed. As a result, in the colonized countries tourism has been shaped by colonial histories, with foreign entities often controlling resources. Tourism resources were perceived not for local people enjoyment but rather the visitors in their different forms. At some point the local people who surrounded the attraction sites were prohibited from entering them. This phenomenon caused the modern day tourism economies to rely much on the external sources of visitors and so the resources which are highly demand to maintain the attractions.
Some of the infrastructural and administrative systems that were established during colonial rule continue to influence Tanzania’s modern nationhood. For example, protected areas such as the Serengeti National Park and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA) were respectively established in the 1951 and 1959 for the purpose of conservation and hunting. The two places have remained contested although they have become world renowned tourist destination. Legacies of exclusion and displacement continue to affect local communities, who often see limited benefits from tourism revenues. In the areas where nature tourism is significant the industry is controlled by a few companies, with a significant portion of revenue leaking out of the country. The ownership of high-end safari lodges and tour operators by foreign investors for example, have been limiting the economic benefits for local communities near tourist attractions, such as the Serengeti and NCA. Therefore they often remain economically marginalized despite the wealth generated by tourism.
In terms of culture and heritage, colonialism left behind a legacy of cultural and historical sites that are now tourist attractions. For example, Bagamoyo, a former slave trade hub and a colonial capital, is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a key tourist destination. The Stone Town in Zanzibar, with its Arab, Persian, and European influences, is a major beach and cultural tourism site shaped by both colonial and pre-colonial histories.
Apart from culture, reports such as those of John Hanning Speke who confirms Lake Victoria as the source of river Nile represented Tanzania as a place of discovery. Those tourism infrastructures, early social, economic, environmental, travel writings, photographs and the exotic nature of tourism narratives persist in modern day tourism marketing, where Tanzania is often marketed as a „safari paradise“. Although the colonial past is part of the historical research and social discourses it is possible to use it to reflect on the postcolonial and future tourism.
Let us bring about a structural shift in knowledge and power to find new ways of seeing, writing about and travelling to African countries.
Further Information
- Akama, John (2004). Neocolonialism, Dependency and External Control of Africa’s Tourism Industry. In M. Hall & H. Tucker (Eds.), Tourism and postcolonialism: Contested discourses, identities and representations (pp. 140–152). Routledge.
- Christie, Iain, Fernandes, Eneida, Messerli, Hannah, & Twining-Ward, Louise (2013). Tourism in Africa: Harnessing Tourism for Growth and Improved Livelihoods. World Bank.
- Kessy, Delphine (2022). Community Engagement in Tourism: Implication on Sustainable Heritage Management in Urban Spaces. In: Eastern African Journal of Hospitality, Leisure and Tourism, 2(1), 1–14. Online: www.researchgate.net/publication/361789877
- Mbembe, Achille (2001). On the Postcolony. University of California Press.
- Timothy, Dallen, & Nyaupane, Gyan (2009). Cultural Heritage and Tourism in the Developing World. Routledge.
Decolonial Travel Guide Tanzania 