Malawi tourism’s search for a digital edge

DIGITAL SEARCH – Technology is shaping how travellers discover destinations | Business Travel

Foster Dalireni, a tourism enthusiast, has watched with concern as changing weather conditions increasingly affect some of Malawi’s favourite destinations.

“You can prepare your rooms, train your staff and advertise your business, but when the water rises or the roads become difficult to use, everything can change overnight,” Dalireni says.

His concern comes as Malawi’s tourism industry faces growing pressure from climate change.

When Lake Malawi’s water levels rose in 2024, hotels, lodges and other tourism businesses along the lakeshore suffered damage and losses estimated at nearly K9 billion.

At Ekhaya Resort in Mangochi, the rising water affected bookings and forced the business to spend more on pumping and protecting its property.

“The rising lake levels have adversely affected us as some customers are not sure of their safety,” the resort’s general manager Benard Khobiri said in April 2024.

“The situation is really bad. In terms of business, I would say we have lost 40 to 50 percent of our revenue due to unprecedented cancellations of bookings.”

Malawi’s Fourth National Communication and Biennial Transparency Report describes tourism as highly vulnerable to climate change.

It cites damage to tourism facilities and infrastructure, wildlife habitats and cultural sites, as well as cancelled holidays and losses of jobs and livelihoods.

The report says climate change has “put this highly sought-after attribute of tourism in disarray”.

The economic stakes are significant. Tourism and travel contributed K1.6 trillion to Malawi’s economy in 2025 and supported about 726,700 jobs, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council’s 2026 Economic Impact Research.

Climate risks are forcing the industry to consider how it can prepare for disruptions before they affect businesses and visitors.

Technology is becoming part of that discussion, with artificial intelligence (AI) gaining attention in tourism and climate management.

Malawi is already using AI to improve climate information.

The Department of Climate Change and Meteorological Services (DCCMS) has been digitising rainfall and water observations that were previously recorded on paper.

The information is fed into BlueIQ, a national platform that uses AI to provide government agencies with near-real-time data.

“Getting data in near real-time is transformative,” Amos Mtonya, Deputy Director of Engineering and Communications at DCCMS, says.

The system is helping authorities improve forecasts and identify vulnerable areas more quickly. Mtonya says the need for better climate information is becoming increasingly urgent.

“For Malawi, climate change is real,” he says, pointing to repeated episodes of heavy rains, droughts and prolonged dry spells.

Similar information could help tourism businesses prepare for changing conditions.

Early warnings about rising water levels, heavy rainfall or other hazards could give operators time to protect property, adjust bookings and communicate with visitors.

Government is also looking at AI as a tourism tool.

The 2026 Annual Economic Report says digitalisation of tourism processes and the adoption of AI tools can improve efficiency, service quality and the reach of Malawi’s marketing campaigns.

It proposes expanding digital platforms, improving ICT infrastructure and adopting AI for service delivery and marketing.

Malawi Tourism Council board chairperson Justin Dzinkambani has urged tourism players to make greater use of digital tools.

“Let us use this period to champion local travel, embrace digital tools that expand our market reach and make this tourism month [of September] an unforgettable celebration that unites our rich traditions and modern innovation,” he said recently.

Tour operator Innocent Kaliati has also called for greater use of technology in tourism.

Speaking about the Malawi International Tourism Expo, Kaliati said: “I think it is time we leveraged technology to amplify this event to make it bigger and better.

“A good website and booking platform is key, but we surely need to have a good foundation to build on.”

That foundation includes roads, telecommunications and other infrastructure needed to connect tourists with the places they find online.

Tourism advocate Colby Mughogho has pointed to Nyika National Park, saying tourists can spend up to 15 hours travelling from Lilongwe because of poor roads.

A destination can gain attention online without becoming easier to reach. A lodge can appear in a search while the road leading to it remains difficult to use.

A tourism site can also attract interest from abroad while providing little reliable information about its facilities, prices or accessibility.

“AI could deepen those gaps if the information available online does not reflect conditions on the ground,” Dalireni warns.

He says a system may recommend a lodge without knowing that it has been damaged by flooding. It may direct a visitor along a road that has become impassable or suggest an attraction that is temporarily closed.

“We need to be where tourists are looking. If people are using AI to decide where to go, Malawi’s destinations need to be visible there.

“But the information has to be correct because a tourist cannot arrive expecting one thing and find something different,” Dalireni says.

The quality of tourism information will become increasingly important as AI influences how travellers search for destinations.

Smaller tourism businesses and community-run attractions could struggle to appear in those searches when little information about them exists online.

Former Information and Digitalisation Minister Moses Kunkuyu said at the launch of the 2025 Human Development Report: “It is not AI that will define our destiny, but the real choices we make today.”

Those choices matter in tourism, where the main attractions are physical places and living communities, according to Dzinkambani.

Current Tourism Minister Simon Itaye made a similar point at the launch of the Community-Based Natural Resource Management Forum earlier this month.

“If we are serious about winning the battle against biodiversity loss, climate change and rural poverty, we must invest at the grassroots level, where the point of impact is,” Itaye said.

Malawi’s tourism industry is facing two changes at the same time.

Observers say climate change is altering the conditions around the natural attractions on which the industry depends, while AI and other digital technologies are changing how those attractions are marketed and discovered.

On the other hand, they argue that the technology could help businesses understand climate risks, reach visitors and promote destinations that receive little attention.

“Its usefulness, however, will depend on reliable data, internet access, digital skills and infrastructure on the ground,” Dalireni says.

He adds that the experience of businesses affected by rising water levels shows why those issues matter.

Dalireni insists that a destination cannot be protected by a digital platform alone, just as a tourism business cannot attract visitors if conditions on the ground make it difficult or unsafe to reach.