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

Rural migrants generally undergo changes in dress, consumption patterns and
language, replacing their traditional dialect with Setswana and English, following
their arrival in the 'urban' towns. Setswana and English are the accepted 'languages
of commerce' in Botswana, and hence a migrant's ability to speak them will increase
their chances of securing employment. The process of acculturation, however, is
gradual as most migrants tend to maintain ties with their home villages, with many
returning regularly to participate in seasonal agricultural activities during their first
five to ten years in the larger towns.
While many studies have been done on the differential impacts of tourism on gender
(Kinnaird, 1994; Momsen, 1994; Swain, 1989; Swain, 1995), few studies have
examined the effects of tourism and migration on gender around the world. In the
Okavango Delta, most jobs associated with the early stages of tourism development,
such as construction, recruit males. However, later stage employment tends to
support significant numbers of female jobs. For example, the Delta now has over
1500 hotel rooms requiring daily maid service. According to the local survey
respondents, 14 percent of the migrants interviewed in Maun were female. The
majority of them stated that they had moved to Maun from rural villages to join their
husbands once they had found formal employment. Only four percent of the female
migrants, stated that they had found formal jobs in Maun, while less than one
percent stated that they were employed in the tourism industry.
The next section focuses specifically on the impacts of tourism development on the
Okavango Delta's physical environment.
8.3 The Environmental Impacts of Tourism in the Okavango
Delta
As the tourism industry in the Okavango Delta is still relatively young, with just over
a decade of development, it is difficult to accurately assess its impacts on the areas
environment. However, a number of both positive and negative issues are becoming
increasingly evident with the development of the industry in this region.
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