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

the definition of tourism to the distance away from home to include overnight stays in
paid accommodation or travel for the purpose of pleasure or leisure (Holloway,
1994).
Alternatively, Gunn (1994, p.4) believes that tourism "encompasses all travel with
the exception of commuting", and that it is more complex than just a service industry.
According to Mclntosh and Goeldner (1986, p.ix), "(T)ourism can be defined as the
science, art and business of attracting and transporting visitors, accommodating
them, and graciously catering to their needs and wants". Another view is that tourism
is interactive and may be defined as "...the sum of the phenomena and relationships
arising from the interaction of tourists, business suppliers, host governments, and
host communities in the process of attracting and hosting these tourists and other
visitors" (Mclntosh and Goeldner, 1986, p. 4).
Nash (1989, p.37) holds an alternative view of tourism as "...a form of imperialism­
a dichotomy of have and have nots with lesser developed countries serving the
pleasures of more developed countries". Shanes and Glover (1989, p.2) state that
"the service experience of tourism is a social experience, and as such involves
human interaction whose nature or form is determined by the culture or cultures of
the interacting individuals". Lastly, Smith and Eadington (1992) provide the simplest
definition of tourism yet, by stating that "(T)ourism is in fact a significant social
institution" (p. xiii). While conceptualising tourism in its entirety is difficult, academic
interest in the subject has not been halted by the lack of an accepted, official
definition. These definitions of tourism are fairly broad and therefore do not
encompass the characteristics of international tourism, mass tourism, responsible
tourism and ecotourism.
2.3 Tourism: Subject or Discipline?
Tourism, as an activity of global importance, is a relatively new development and as
a result has only recently been considered worthy of serious business endeavour or
academic study (Cooper et aI, 1998; Faulkner et aI, 2001). The tourism industry is,
however, of sufficient economic importance, and its social, economic and
environmental impact is significant enough for the subject of tourism to deserve
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