Implications of Responsible Tourism for Conservation and Development in Southern Africa - Responsible Tourism: Critical Issues for Conservation and Development - page 348

donor investment, visitor numbers, gross revenue and net income. Similarly to
problems identified earlier by Spenceley, enterprises in Zambia were constrained
in the level of business and tourism skills, accessibility because of remote
locations, and poor communication for bookings.There were also problems where
donor-funded infrastructure had not created assets that were owned by commu-
nity institutions; where there was poor accountability for community income; and
land use conflicts where hunting and non-consumptive wildlife tourism were
operated in the same area (similarly to Nelson's findings in Tanzania). She reports
that some community members felt abandoned by NGOs, and were unable to
manage failing businesses, and sought assistance from private sector partners.
Key determinants of success were linkages to tourism companies, proximity to
main tourism routes, competitive advantage, financial management, visitor
handling and community motivation. Dixey concludes that community-based
tourism has to be market related with regard to consumer demand, if it is to be
viable and benefit the poor in the long term. Governments can also provide an
enabling environment, by acting as a facilitator in the tourism industry.
This section concludes with an analysis of community-based natural resource
management (CBNRM) and conservancies in Namibia, where Jon Barnes
demonstrates the impacts of community-based tourism at both a local and
national level. He poses important questions regarding whether CBNRM can
generate sustainable and viable returns outweighing the costs, and if the extensive
donor investment in this sector over the past 16 years has been justified. His
cost-benefit analyses of five conservancies (Torra, Khoadi //Hôas, Nyae Nyae,
Mayuni and Salambala) indicated that the communities derive positive net
returns from their investments in tourism related CBRNM, particularly in arid
and semi-arid areas. In addition, Barnes reports that donor and government
grants significantly enhanced the returns that communities obtained (although
some would be viable without grants). The five conservancies demonstrate that
they are economically efficient and contribute positively to national economic
well-being. For example, the economic internal rate of return of the conservancies
over 16 years was 14.91 per cent, with an economic net present value over this
period (with an 8 per cent discount rate) of US$7.8 million. His chapter is criti-
cally important, because it provides the first evidence that community-based
tourism in Namibia is economically viable. Here Barnes has built on a great deal
of previous work by himself, and by many other resource economists in Namibia.
Over the years a rich array of case studies quantifying impacts of wildlife manage-
ment and tourism have been undertaken (see www.met.gov.na/pub_all.htm). This
is highly important work that should continue, so that the lessons inform both
policy, industry and communities.
The practitioners contributing to this section have effectively shaken the
premise that community-based tourism enterprises are always a useful develop-
ment tool in poor, rural areas.The authors demonstrate that although CBTEs can
provide greater economic benefits than agriculture in some areas, it is imperative
that they are planned and operated as commercial entities. There is little value in
establishing a CBTE which tourists do not know about (because of poor promo-