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

Despite these conflicting employment statistics, findings indicate that employment in
the tourism sector in the Okavango region has increased over the last two decades
by an estimated 70 percent (Mbaiwa, 2002).
There is little doubt that the tourism sector contributes significantly to the livelihoods
of many people in the Okavango Delta area. For example, at the Botswana
Confederation of Commerce, Industry and Manpower (BOCCIM) regional
conference held in Francistown in 1997, it was stated that approximately 27000
people were supported by workers employed in the wildlife and tourism sector in
Ngamiland District. The majority of tourism related jobs were provided in the
accommodation sector, followed by social and personnel services, wholesale and
retail trade, and transport. With a high rate of population growth, a small agricultural
sector and limited opportunities for the development of manufacturing, tourism can
be a vehicle for creating jobs. This is particularly so in rural and wildlife areas where
most tourists visit and where there are few other opportunities (Mbaiwa, 2002).
6.4.3.1 Educational Background and Training of Tourism Employees
According to a study by Mbaiwa (2002), on the economic impact of tourism in
Ngamiland District in 2001, it is the Botswana Government's policy that management
positions occupied by expatriate staff should have local staff members
understudying them, in order to ultimately achieve the localization of such senior
posts. This approach to local empowerment, however, does not appear to be
feasible (at least in the near future) in the tourism sector. As shown in Table 6.29, a
total of 98 tourism workers were surveyed by Mbaiwa in 2001, with regard to their
education. Findings revealed that the majority of the local workers in the tourism
industry have only limited education. There was little or no professional training
provided to those already working in the industry to enable them to quickly occupy
management positions. There appeared to be no incentive on the part of employers
to train local personnel for the available professional and skilled jobs in the tourism
sector (Mbaiwa, 2002).
267