ABSTRACT
Adventure tourism has become one of the growing sectors in the travel and tourism industries in the developing worlds. However, Malawi’s tourism is at the blossoming stage with lots of adventure tourism products still untouched, to be explored, and experienced. The unspoiled nature of the adventure tourism products appeals to adventure travelers to travel responsibly to a less traveled destination offering unique experiences as a must visit tourism destination. Adventure travelers can benefit more from the activities through sustainable management approaches to ensure maximum protection and conservation of the environment and exiting products. The responsibility of managing products is for both residents and travelers for sustainability. There is a need to take control of all threats including poaching, product management, soil erosion and travelers’ acceptance to be grouped and timetabled in recommended carrying capacities to avoid destroying the environment and product marketing. Responsible travel and tourism, moreover, brings in great tourism opportunity offerings to the locals around the tourism destination ranging from employment, sponsored community projects and infrastructure development in the destination area. It also helps to preserve culture and traditions as some adventure tourists are much more interested to interact with local people and learn of their way of living. However, using two case studies approach, in the Liwonde Wildlife
32Reserve (LWR) and Nyika Wildlife Reserves (NWR) the results reveals that both reserves are marketed as tourism destinations rather than adventure tourism destinations. The study suggests that there several adventure tourism activities unexplored requiring intensive marketing to adventure travelers. It further suggests that the adoption of modern marketing strategies like online and digital marketing can enhance putting Malawi as an adventure tourism destination on the world map.
