The socio-economic and environmental impacts of tourism development on the Okavango Delta, north-western Botswana

The Okavango Delta is one of Botswana's leading tourist-destination areas, mainly because of the rich wildlife resources it sustains and its scenic beauty. Tourism has stimulated the development of a variety of allied infrastructure and facilities, such as hotels, lodges and camps, airport and airstrips, in the Okavango region. Through its backward linkages, wholesale and retail businesses have also been established, especially in Maun; to offer various goods to the tourist industry. Tarred roads and other communication facilities have also been developed in Ngamiland District partly to facilitate tourism development. Tourism in the Okavango Delta also provides employment opportunities to local communities and it is a significant source of foreign exchange for Botswana. Despite its positive socio-economic impacts, the industry is beginning to have negative environmental impacts in the area such as the destruction of the area's ecology through driving outside the prescribed trails, noise pollution and poor waste management. This, therefore, suggests that tourism in the Okavango Delta has socio-economic and environmental impacts, issues which are addressed-by this paper based on the concept of sustainability. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd.