Nation-state influence on tourism path creation in Southern Africa

Abstract

This paper explores the role of agency in the emergence and evolution of tourism paths in the post-colonial states of Southern Africa. Building on the Trinity of Change Agency concept, we emphasise the critical role of the nation-state by spotlighting the multi-scalarity of institutional entrepreneurship and the impact of triggering events. These elements are essential for understanding the decisive forms of agency that can redirect tourism economic paths at pivotal moments. This approach is adapted to explain the uneven evolution of tourism paths across the border regions of Chobe, Victoria Falls and Zambezi. Our findings suggest that the interplay between regional actors and a responsive nation-state during periods of change plays a crucial role in shaping the development of tourism paths.