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

As such, it is only recently that the Botswana Government has realised that the
present, elitist and foreign dominated forms of tourism present in most Third World
countries, does little to bring about local development and environmental protection.
This realisation has resulted in the government starting to formulate alternative
approaches to tourism growth and local development, such as the implementation of
the CBNRM programme. Even so, foreign domination and 'top-down' development
still dominate the areas industry.
9.5 The Okavango Delta's Tourism Industry
Tourism in the Okavango Delta has rapidly expanded in the last two decades. The
Okavango Delta is currently one of Botswana's leading tourist destination areas,
mainly because of the rich and varied wildlife resources it sustains and its scenic
beauty. Like other wetlands in the world, it provides good breeding areas for a wide
range of species of wildlife, birds, amphibians, aquatic mammals and fish. Tourism
activities in the Okavango Delta include consumptive (hunting, fishing) and non­
consumptive (photographic) resource use activities. Findings in this study have
shown that approximately 65000 tourists visit the Okavango Delta annually, with the
majority of tourists coming from North America, Europe, New Zealand/Australia and
South Africa (Mbaiwa, 2002).
Tourism contributes approximately six percent to the country's GDP, and it is the
dominant economic activity in the Okavango Delta region. Tourism profits are an
important source of income for the Botswana Government. However, there are also
a number of serious problems associated with the tourism industry in the Okavango
Delta, and the country as a whole.
Firstly, as tourism is the dominant economic activity in the Okavango Delta region,
the Botswana Government has gone to great lengths to promote the development of
the industry, and substantially upgraded the country's travel infrastructure and
accommodation capacity. It is also very receptive to joint venture proposals. Lease
agreements for hospitality enterprises such as safari lodges have been relaxed, as
have building and other restrictions. Tourism profits have led to economic growth,
which is of great benefit to the state, but it has also resulted in unequal regional
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