Effects of Transfrontier Conservation Area Public Tourism Policies on Destination Marketing and Management: A Critical Realist Investigation of Private Sector Perspectives in Zambia's KAZA TFCA

Abstract

Transfrontier Conservation Areas (TFCAs) have emerged as significant instruments for promoting sustainable tourism and regional integration in Southern Africa. However, the effects of TFCA public tourism policies on destination marketing and management remain insufficiently understood, particularly from the perspective of private sector stakeholders. This research gap persists despite the critical role of private sector operators in delivering destination brand promises and managing competitive tourism experiences. This study investigated the impact of TFCA public tourism policies on destination marketing and management in Zambia's Kavango-Zambezi (KAZA) TFCA, employing a critical realist (CR) philosophical framework combined with grounded theory and retroductive analysis. A qualitatively driven case study was conducted in the Livingstone tourism development area, collecting data from 30 private-sector stakeholders through semi-structured interviews and strategic document analysis. Data analysis utilised grounded theory for theory building, thematic analysis for pattern identification, and retroduction to uncover underlying causal mechanisms. The findings reveal that TFCA policies significantly impact destination marketing and management through four underlying mechanisms: power dynamics, institutional inertia, resource constraints, and limited stakeholder engagement. These mechanisms operate on deep structures—including existing policy frameworks, economic systems, and social norms—to produce observable outcomes such as stakeholder conflicts, resistance to change, inequitable benefit distribution, limited infrastructure development, and inefficient policy implementation. The study contributes a context-specific framework for private sector involvement in TFCA public tourism policy-making and strategic agenda-setting. Theoretical contributions include advancing the application of critical realism in tourism policy research beyond its traditional positivist and interpretivist foundations, and demonstrating the utility of mechanism-based explanations for understanding complex multi-stakeholder policy environments. Practical implications emphasise the necessity of collaborative governance, context-sensitive policies, enhanced stakeholder engagement, and adaptive management strategies for successful TFCA implementation and sustainability.