Botswana’s New Tourism Policy of 2021 and Mantras of Citizen Empowerment and Product Diversification: A Case of Going Backward to Move Forward

Abstract

Summary Botswana’s first tourism policy was published in 1990 as the first true attempt at formalizing tourism activities in the country. The policy advocated for a high-cost, low-volume (HC, LV) marketing approach for general tourism practice in Botswana. This policy position has received reviews from various stakeholders, some of whom decry its exclusionary consequences for both citizen entrepreneurs and travellers. In 2021, the Revised Tourism Policy was released following a lengthy review process dating back to 2008. The newly revised policy prescribes a high volume/mixed price strategy in recognition of the constraints embedded in the founding policy’s approach. To this end, the revised policy promises a more citizen-friendly tourism environment where local participation would be improved and benefits spread more equitably to citizens. While explicitly making pronouncements on how an increase in domestic travel shall be facilitated, as well as calling for local participation at the entrepreneurial level, two things remain unchanged. At most, the revised policy retains its predecessor’s government-centred approach as well as wildlife and wilderness-centred thinking. The government-centred dispensation is aptly captured in the policy as a government-led, private-sector-driven, and community-based tourism development approach. The current case addresses the challenges of a government-centred policy in the wake of citizen empowerment and participation in community-based tourism. Information © The Author 2023