the role of tourism in natural resource management in the okavango ...

However, the number of tourists that visit or pass through Moremi Game Reserve
can also be used to provide a more accurate estimation of the number of tourists
that visit the Okavango Delta each year, as all movement into or out of the reserve is
recorded.
Table 6.5: The Number of Visitors to Moremi Game Reserve From 1995 to 2001
Year Number of TouristsNisitors
1995 36074
1996 38204
1997 42987
1998 49556
1999 46707
2000 30835
2001 31 076
Source: Adapted From the Department of Wildlife and National Parks, 2002;
Mbaiwa, 2002.
As shown in Table 6.5,30835 individuals visited the Moremi Game Reserve in
2000, which is a much lower figure than the 99 969 individuals that the Department
of Tourism (2001) estimated visited the whole of the Okavango Delta in 2000. As
such, figures from the Moremi Game reserve do provide a reliable source of
information, yet should be used with care as they can be a gross underestimate of
the total number of tourists visiting the Okavango Delta each year. This is because
the Okavango Delta as a whole is large, and most areas allow for the entry and exit
of people into the Delta without the information ever being recorded (such as in the
Panhandle area). However, if the data from the Department of Tourism (2001) and
that from the Moremi Game Reserve is considered, it can be assumed that an
average of around 65 000 people visit the Okavango Delta each year. Since it is
difficult to accurately estimate the number of tourists that visit the delta annually, the
ideal situation would be a complete sample of all people who stayed in all
accommodation areas (camps, lodges, hotels, etc.) in the Okavango in a particular
year (Department of Tourism, 2001; Mbaiwa, 2002).
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