The wildlife in the national parks of Zimbabwe and South Africa were a bigger attraction. With the construction of the dam and the creation of the lake the potential for tourism has perhaps increased. The Lake offers leisure opportunities such as boating and the game viewing. The Zimbabwean shore of the Lake with its national parks and state owned lake frontage is perhaps better capable of exploiting the opportunities than the Zambia shore, where small scale farming communities dominate land usage. Some economists consider that the Zambian shore of the Lake may present cultural tourism opportunities such as visiting villages.
Most tourists visiting the region expect to view wild animals in their natural habitats.
If tourism is to flourish at Lake Kariba there has to be thought given to ways of managing the wildlife.