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

The English Tourist Board (1991, cited in Cooper et ai, 1993, p. 87) provides the
following principles that must be considered for the development of sustainable
tourism:
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The environment has an intrinsic value that outweighs its value as a tourism
asset. Its enjoyment by future generations and its long-term survival must
not be prejudiced by short-term considerations;
Tourism should be recognised as a positive activity with the potential to
benefit the community and the host site as well as visitors;
The relationship between tourism and the environment must be managed
so that the environment is sustainable in the long term. Tourism must not be
allowed to damage the resources, pr.ejudice its future enjoyment and bring
unacceptable impacts;
Tourism activities and development should respect the scale, nature, and
character of the places in which they are sited;
In any location, harmony must be sought among the various needs of the
visitors, the place and the host community;
In a dynamic world, some change is inevitable, and it often can be
beneficial. Adaptation to change, however, should not be at the expense of
any of these principles;
The tourism industry, local authorities and environmental agencies all have
a duty to respect these principles and to work together to achieve their
practical realisation.
These principles of sustainable tourism development are primarily based on the
theory of carrying capacity (Tribe et ai, 2000). Even though originally a wildlife
ecology term, carrying capacity has been applied to humans and more specifically to
tourists. It has been defined for the purpose of tourism as "...the maximum number
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