11 Feb 2021

Existing policies allow for different categories of visitors into protected areas such as Chobe National Park, including self-drives, says Minister of Environment, Natural Resource Conservation and Tourism, Ms Philda Kereng.

 She said the set-up was intended to cater for tourists to have equal access into Chobe National Park. 

The minister said the approach was one of the means through which a large proportion of Batswana could afford access into Chobe National Park.

 Furthermore, she said Botswana was part of the regional and global village in terms of tourism, hence the need to align tourism policies with regional and global trends where possible.

She, however, said the Wildlife Conservation and National Parks Act regulated self-drive visitors in terms of appropriate vehicles and general conduct which was strictly enforced by park staff. 

She noted that local tour operators were allowed to ferry tourists in and out of parks and game reserves, Chobe National Park included. 

“This is the reason why there are so many day visits undertaken by local tour operators into some of the parks and reserves. Furthermore, government took a deliberate decision to lease out some campsites inside parks and game reserves to private operators who supported mobile safaris and individual camping guests visiting our parks and game reserves,” she said

Ms Kereng said the ministry had also reserved the activity of receiving and transporting travellers and guests within protected areas for citizens or companies which were wholly owned by citizens. 

“However, it should be noted that the activity of self-drives satisfies a specific market for tourists who derive pleasure out of driving themselves hence self-drives,” she said

Ms Kereng said current legislation did not restrict entrance into national parks by private vehicles, adding that the approach was one of the means through which  Batswana could afford access into protected areas.

She said during the next financial year, her ministry would conduct consultations on the possibility of establishing a self-drive regulatory body that would establish principles and ethics in line with international best practices.

She said although her ministry encouraged business relationships between companies involved in the tourism and hospitality industry, such working relationships and related arrangements were a prerogative of the private sector. 

She noted that there were cases where large companies  engaged local companies to assist them with certain services, especially the ferrying and guiding of guests in protected areas or boating into the delta.  

“This practice is quite common between accommodation facilities such as hotels and mobile tour operating companies based in Maun and Kasane.”

Furthermore, she said the Department of Tourism was mandated to collect bed levy in accordance with Regulation 13 (Tourism Regulations 2010). 

She noted that all accommodation facilities paid into the Tourism Industry Training Fund a training levy of P10 per paying guest per day.  

She said the Department of Tourism monitored all licensed operations for compliance with the Tourism Act, with the assistance of the Tourism Industry Training Fund management committee and other stakeholders. 

She said most national parks and game reserves did not have problems in terms of traffic levels except for the riverfront segment of the Chobe National Park.

 “Suffice to indicate that all our protected areas have management plans that stipulates carrying capacities amongst other things. My ministry is currently reviewing the Chobe management plan which will be completed by the end of the next financial year,” she said 

Minister Kereng said in an effort to manage large number of vehicles and boats along the Chobe riverfront, a holistic strategy meant to decongest the area was adopted and implemented in 2009. 

Nata-Gweta Member of Parliament, Mr Polson Majaga had asked the minister to consider changing the policy whereby tourists drove themselves to access Chobe National Park, and further state if the minister could consider assigning local tour operators to perform the activity. 

He also wanted the minister to state when would the ministry impose strict regulations so that there would be no access to national parks without professional vehicles. ends