Community-based camel ecotourism in Botswana: Current status and future perspectives

Abstract

Ecotourism is a form of tourism that involves visiting fragile, pristine, and relatively undisturbed natural areas, intended as a low-impact and often small-scale alternative to standard commercial (mass) tourism. Ecotourism is a part of environmental conservation. Ecotourism requires understanding the needs of the native people so as to help them improve the quality of their life. Our objectives were to assess herd size, composition, camel types, revenue sources, the role of camels in ecotourism and benefits to communities. Purposive sampling technique was conducted at Tsabong Ecotourism Camel Park to interview key informants. A semi-structured questionnaire was developed and used for each interview. Field observations were also carried out to assess the conditions of camel herd and facilities. The results showed that camels in the Park were used for riding by tourists. Our respondents mentioned that camel back safari was the main tourism activity provided by the Park. According to key informants, the Park income was derived both from camel and non-camel related activities. Camel riding, trekking, wedding ceremonies, photographs and entrance fees were camel-related income sources. Informants’ experiences showed an increase in the trend of tourists visiting the Park between 2015 and 2017. Current results show that the Park hosted more local visitors than foreigners, with locals accounting for 91% of visits. Improved promotion is required to attract international tourists to the Park. Camel racing seems one of the potential business areas to attract tourists to Botswana. Overall, the Kgalagadi district is an important site for conducting annual camel racing events. Such efforts would improve incomes and livelihoods in the local communities and strengthen a sustainable tourism attraction to Botswana. We suggest that the challenges currently facing the Park need to be addressed to exploit camel ecotourism to its full potential.