Abstract

The Kafue River Catchment is among the most ecologically and culturally significant in Zambia, but development of tourism within the basin has been patchy, slow, and poorly linked to principles of sustainability. Notwithstanding policy pronouncements in favour of sustainable tourism, there is poor empirical appreciation of how varying governance arrangements, community participation and benefits sharing mechanisms combine to influence local-level outcomes for tourism in riverine catchments like the Kafue. This paper fills this gap by examining the institutional, socio-economic and community level drivers to sustainable tourism development in the Kafue River Catchment. Informed by Sustainable Development and Community Based Tourism (CBT) theories, the research utilises a qualitative case study approach with data gathered from semi-structured interviews, focus groups and participant observation in eight catchment villages. Thematic analysis was performed to identify patterns of power relations, participation and resource access in shaping tourism sustainability. The results indicate that eco-tourism, cultural heritage tourism, conservation-based business and community enterprises have high development capacity, yet their sustainability is experiencing threat due to the isolated governance integration process between top-down implementation of policies, poor communication linkages and uneven benefits distribution. Analytically, the research finds that restricted community agency and not resources alone is the key constraint on growth of sustainable tourism. Continuing with the labyrinthine regulations without local substance for them drives non-compliance, makes people distrustful and undermines conservation results. The study's primary contribution is in connecting governance failures with sustainability outcomes in riverine tourism contexts, demonstrating that infrastructure delivery, policy integration and benefit-sharing need to be co-produced with local communities for long-term resilience. By placing the Kafue River Catchment in perspective of larger discourses on sustainable development and river-based tourism, the paper provides insights as to how to align tourism governance with the SDGs by mainstreaming environmental conservation, cultural identity preservation and inclusive economic participation for current and future stakeholders.