08 April 2026
A new collaborative model linking tourism businesses with local enterprises is already gaining traction across the KAZA region after launching in Victoria Falls last week.
Africa’s Eden Tourism, in partnership with Sigma International, has launched the Regional Tourism Business & Community Business Support Pilot Programme, with strong early support from industry leaders following its introduction at the Africa’s Eden Travel Show – Africa Edition in Victoria Falls.
The programme is already building momentum, with two funders confirmed and additional sponsorship proposals in the pipeline. This early traction signals a clear industry appetite for practical, collaborative approaches that strengthen tourism supply chains while supporting local enterprises.
The pilot programme will support 12 selected enterprises through a structured 8–12 month process, including diagnostics, mentorship, market access and impact measurement.
Operating within the Victoria Falls and wider KAZA tourism ecosystem, the initiative connects Africa’s Eden member companies with both economic and social enterprises through a fractional funding model.
This allows multiple partners to co-invest in meaningful, structured business support.
Crucially, the programme is not grant-based. Instead, it focuses on enterprise development, capacity building and market linkages, ensuring that supported businesses are integrated into real tourism value chains.
Early field engagement is already underway, with on-the-ground work helping to identify and understand potential beneficiaries. This approach ensures the programme is rooted in local realities and positioned to deliver long-term, place-based impact.
Beneficiaries will include a mix of small and medium-sized tourism supply chain businesses, social enterprises delivering community and environmental impact, and ecosystem enablers that strengthen tourism operations and sustainability.
The initiative is being championed by key industry leaders, including David Glynn, Chair of Africa’s Eden Tourism and Executive Chair of Victoria Falls Safari Lodge Collection.
“This programme provides a practical and collaborative way for tourism businesses to support local enterprises while strengthening our own supply chains. It moves beyond good intentions and creates a structured pathway for real impact within our tourism ecosystem. I encourage our peers across the region to actively explore how their own supply chains can become a force for positive change in the communities we operate in.”
The programme introduces a collective impact marketplace approach, positioning Sigma International and its partners at the forefront of integrating enterprise and supplier development (ESD) and ESG outcomes into tourism ecosystems.
By leveraging a fractional funding model, industry participants can contribute meaningfully without the need for large, once-off investments, while still ensuring structured delivery and measurable outcomes.
This model, already proven in other sectors by Sigma International, is now being applied within tourism, with the potential to scale across the region.
Following its successful launch, the programme will be taken forward to WTM Africa and Africa’s Travel Indaba, where additional partners and sponsors will be engaged.
These platforms will support the expansion of the programme’s funding base, showcase early traction, and invite further participation from across the tourism ecosystem.
As the programme builds momentum, Africa’s Eden Tourism and Sigma International are inviting tourism businesses, corporates, development agencies and impact partners to get involved.
There are multiple ways to participate, from sponsoring beneficiary enterprises and nominating businesses within your network, to contributing through procurement, mentorship and ecosystem support.
In parallel, Africa’s Eden continues to grow its Community & Conservation network and invites registered NGOs working within tourism-linked impact areas to join its free partnership programme.
For those interested in learning more about the Africa’s Eden and Sigma International partnership, or how to get involved, further information can be found here.
