Coloniality of power and the imaginaries of tourism in Victoria Falls

A study reveals that the tourism industry at Victoria Falls remains unevenly structured along racial and colonial lines, with foreign and white-owned businesses capturing the majority of value despite Zimbabwe's post-colonial status. The research integrates Global Value Chain (GVC) analysis with theories of 'coloniality of power' to demonstrate how historical racial dynamics persist in modern tourism value chains. It proposes a framework for decolonizing these systems to foster equity, offering pathways for transforming tourism in post-colonial contexts. This approach highlights the enduring impact of colonial legacies on economic participation and value distribution.

Mlilo, M., Bollig, M., & Revilla Diez, J. (2024). Coloniality of power and the imaginaries of tourism in Victoria Falls. Geoforum, 156, 104131. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoforum.2024.104131