Abstract
The accommodation services sector is a vital underpinning of the competitiveness
of destinations in especially emerging tourism regions of the global
economy. Within the environment of Africa building the competitiveness of
countries as tourism destinations is inseparable from the challenge of establishing
a network of different forms of accommodation at competitive prices and internationally
acceptable quality standards. This paper uses a longitudinal approach
to analyse the development of the accommodation services sector in one African
country – Malawi – which is scaling up its tourism industry. Using historical
evidence the objective is to examine the unfolding evolution of accommodation
services as a factor in enhancing tourism destination competitiveness. The chequered
pathway followed in Malawi to building the country’s network of hotels and
small-scale accommodation establishments is traced from the colonial period to
post-independence developments. It is argued that in understanding the historical
evolution of accommodation services policy re-orientations have been significant
drivers of change.