Developmentourism and school tours in Zimbabwe

This chapter explores the macro-niche of developmentourism in one case study school in a tourist area of Zimbabwe by examining the micro-niche of school tours. The school hosts tourists in exchange for small gifts and, sometimes substantial, financial donations. Data generated during three months of fieldwork includes semi-structured interviews with teachers and tourism staff. Through the discursive framing of the macro-niche of developmentourism and associated notions of development, a complex working and learning environment for the school community is created. In this environment, the school has a higher level of educational resourcing than local government schools but is required to manage the regular disruptions to the school day caused by school tours. This chapter explores these tensions and concludes that school tours are an under-researched micro-tourism niche, and the complexities and nuances of school tours have potentially significant impacts upon educational experiences and learning for children.