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

esult, it can be safely assumed that the number of tourists visiting the Okavango
Delta has been increasing, particularly from the 1990s onwards, and will continue to
do so as long as the Botswana Government upholds its present policy of tourism
development as a means to economic empowerment (Mbaiwa, 2002).
6.3.3 Origin of Tourists
Approximately three-quarters of Moremi Game Reserve is located within the
Okavango Delta and the majority of tourists to the Delta go there, or pass through it
on their way to the Chobe National Park. With regards to the origin of tourists visiting
the Okavango Delta, data from visitor entries into the Moremi Game Reserve
indicate that the majority of tourists visiting the area come from Europe, North
America, New Zealand and Australia, and South Africa (Table 6.7).
Table 6.7: Nationality of Tourists Visiting the Moremi Game Reserve
(1999 - 2001)
Country 1999 2000 2001 Totals
Citizens 1014 703 921 2638
Residents 6203 4679 5500 16382
South Africa 9625 5007 4993 19625
Other Africa 987 613 537 2137
North America 1057 6154 5985 13196
South America 7461 693 702 8856
United Kingdom 3762 2606 2212 8580
Other Europe 13669 8993 8764 31426
Australia and New
Zealand
1761 1148 1201 4110
Asia 347 109 114 570
Other 821 130 147 1098
Total 46707 30835 31076 108618
Source: Adapted From the Department of Wildlife and National parks, 2002;
Mbaiwa, 2002.
A structured questionnaire for the purpose of interviews was randomly distributed to
400 tourists throughout the Okavango Delta area and Panhandle between April
2003 and September 2004. Responses were received from 224 (56 percent) of
them. As can be seen from Figure 6.3, 70 percent of the tourists interviewed were of
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