Tourists have visited Zimbabwe's rural areas for many years, although the local communities were rarely involved (or benefited from) tourism until a few pilot projects were set up by CAMPFIRE in the early 1990's. Most revenues from tourism in Zimbabwe's communal lands are generated through the leasing of sites for nature tourism, although in some cases local residents run basic tourist facilities and act as guides. Many more tourism plans are in the pipeline, including cultural tourism, bird-watching and access to natural hot springs.

The lack of diversification of CAMPFIRE from wildlife to other natural resources is a topical issue. As indicated in the introduction, USAID support to CAMPFIRE involved two phases. NRMP I (1989-1994) spent USD7.6 million and supported four districts in Matabeleland (Binga, Hwange, Tsholotsho and the then Bulilimamangwe, now Bulilima and Mangwe districts), as well as wildlife management in the Hwange-Matetsi Parks and Wildlife Complex, and some communication, training and research. In 1995, USAID refinanced NRMP II with USD20.5 million as a national project in support of the CAMPFIRE programme.