Published: December 1, 2025
Although I am now on my way to Botswana for the Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM) annual general meeting with UL’s Dean of the College of Agriculture and Forestry, Prof. Leroy Cegbe, I am still reflecting on my trip to China and analyzing all that I saw there. Because I am inspired to develop an educational program that supports tourism, especially ecotourism, at UL, I am continuing to imagine how it might be built. I am also thinking about the potential ecotourism sites we have on our own campus and how to develop them into exciting and memorable destinations for visitors.
During my travels towards Botswana (I am actually writing this from the Johannesburg airport in the middle of the night while we await our final flight to Botswana), I looked back over all the photos I took in Zhangjiajie and analyzed what made it a good experience. I am sure I will also see things in Botswana that will add to these reflections, and, if so, you will hear about them. Either way, here goes:
Begin by identifying an iconic site. For Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, it is the iconic mountain-like sandstone pillars, unique in all the world and legendary in Chinese culture and art. In Liberia, our rainforest is iconic and our wildlife are iconic. Already, we have protected areas like Lake Piso and Sapo National Forest, with many others coming online as they are developed. We also have areas like Kpatawee Waterfall, East Nimba Nature Reserve, and Robertsport that are distinctive for their own reasons. On the UL Fendall Campus, we have the Lakeview Wetlands and a future botanical garden. So, once an iconic site has been identified, what next?
An iconic site generates a “wow factor” for visitors. The natural features, whether geological, botanical, or wildlife-related, are memorable and inspire awe at creation. They engage all of the senses: sight, sound, smell, touch, and taste. When people visit these places, ideally, their spirits are rejuvenated and they learn something new and interesting. Stories are generated by their visit that they can tell over and over to friends and family, creating connection to the natural environment and sparking care and concern about nature and sustainability. Nature alone can create a “wow factor,” but enhancements to a site can also contribute to this.
Some enhancements, such as informational signage about plants and animals, site maps, and historical markers, contribute to the learning factor. Other enhancements, like the glass bridge, zipline, glass walkway, cable cars, and riverboat in Zhangjiajie, add a “thrill” factor to the already amazing natural wonders—and, importantly, these generate revenue. However, they also increase the responsibility for making sure visitors have a safe and secure experience at the site. Many sites can enhance their value by promoting their claims to fame, whether unique superlatives and statistics (e.g., “the smallest hippos in the world,” “half the remaining primary rainforest in West Africa”), famous feats or famous visitors (“that time when a pilot who flew a plane through Tianmen Cave”), or other popular connections (“the rock that inspired the movie Avatar”). Well-identified photo op sites are also a valuable enhancement, because everyone wants to post spectacular photos from their visit to their social media feed, and this is an important part of the memory-making.
Grand ecotourism sites should have something for everyone – not only fit and able-bodied young people and nature lovers, but also children, the elderly, people with disabilities or sensory differences, and people of diverse literacy levels. They should be places people can go solo, as couples, as families, as groups of friends, or groups of students or co-workers, and as shared interest groups, such as fitness enthusiasts or bird watchers. They should be places where people who love nature can bring their friends and family who don’t love nature as much as they do and everyone still has a good time.
Many successful (eco)tourist sites are adjacent to “tourist towns” that have all the amenities that visitors need for an extended stay, from hotels or other forms of lodging, to restaurants, entertainment venues, tour guides and transportation vendors, and shopping areas. These amenities cater to all kinds of tourists, from the luxury traveler to the traveler on a budget, with suitable options for all. On our first night in Zhangjiajie, for example, we went to the theater to enjoy an amazing acrobatic musical show showcasing several of China’s minority ethnic groups. It was dazzling – and the perfect end to a day when we were physically tired from all the climbing up and down mountain steps. Our tour guide was a local resident of Zhangjiajie who worked for a tour guide firm based there, and she arranged comfortable transportation for all our treks to the forest and back. These are the kinds of business ideas that help (eco)tourism sites become economically successful, and engagement of the communities already attached to the site is essential to success.
How can our educational programming at UL help our students become the entrepreneurs and experts that bring Liberia’s ecotourism sites to life? What role can UL play in boosting Liberia’s economy through ecotourism while also preserving and conserving our natural wonders and all the ecosystem resources that they provide? The University has a role—our environmental scientists, our engineers, our foresters and wildlife specialists, our artists and creatives, our business administration specialists, even our food scientists, are all needed. And we still need a hospitality management curriculum. How can UL work with partners in Liberia’s burgeoning ecotourism industry, whether governmental, private sector, or NGO, to collaborate on projects, create internships, and engage in research that helps the industry, and UL’s tourism-related educational programs, grow? These are all questions we will begin to answer together, and I find the prospect exciting!
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