The Realities of Ecotourism Development in Botswana - Responsible Tourism: Critical Issues for Conservation and Development - page 197

and the conservation of natural resources in Botswana. This means that the major
stakeholders involved in ecotourism development - the Government of Botswana
and NGOs such as Conservation International, Kalahari Conservation Society,
the SNV-Netherlands and local communities - should develop a manual that will
guide the activities of Trusts, particularly in relation to financial management and
environmental management of their ecotourism areas.
Ecotourism finds itself competing with an already established tourism indus-
try, that is, enclave tourism. However, small-scale ecotourism projects, if properly
managed, are less harmful to the environment and can thus promote sustainable
development of natural resources in the Okavango Delta. Britton and Clarke
(1987) note that small-scale projects, locally controlled, can have a significant
impact on raising the living standards of local people. However, small-scale tourist
projects are unlikely to meet the needs of large numbers of tourists as well as the
interests of some rich tourists that currently visit the Delta from overseas. As a
result, some large-scale tourism projects, involving big hotels and lodges, are
inevitable in the Okavango region. Therefore, small-scale and high-cost tourism
projects should complement each other. Government planners should coordinate
investment in tourism infrastructure that takes into consideration the needs of
small-scale entrepreneurs and those of the local communities instead of putting
the focus on developing a high-cost tourism industry alone, as emphasized by the
high-cost-low-volume tourism policy. Carter (1991) states that large-scale devel-
opment is often the precursor to small-scale development. That is, as tourism
development proceeds, indigenous firms, industries and locals gain knowledge
and experience. It is from this perspective that the National Ecotourism Strategy
is perceived as one means to empower rural communities to develop tourism
enterprises and benefit from the growing international tourism industry in the
country. In 2007, the Botswana Parliament passed a bill that reserved some of the
tourism activities such as guest houses, mobile safaris and other small-scale enter-
prises for ecotourism communities. This approach is one way of shifting tourism
from a purely enclave form to ecotourism in Botswana.

Notes

1 US$1 = P1.6 (Botswana Pula) as at June 2007.

References

Arntzen, J. W. (2003) An EconomicView onWildlife Management Areas in Botswana.
CBNRM Support Programme Occasional Paper No. 10, Gaborone
Arntzen, J., Molokomme, K., Tshosa, O., Moleele, N., Mazambani, D., and Terry, B.
(2003) Review of CBNRM in Botswana . Applied Research Unit,Gaborone
Bjork, P. (2000) 'Ecotourism from a conceptual perspective, an extended definition of a
unique tourism form', International Journal of Tourism Research , vol 2,189-202