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RESPONSE TO QUESTION IN PARLIAMENT - LOCAL TOUR OPERATORS IN CHOBE NATIONAL PARK (9/2/2021)
MR P. MAJAGA (NATA-GWETA): asked the Minister of Environment, Natural Resources Conservation and Tourism to consider changing the policy where by tourists drive themselves when they access Chobe National Park; and to further state:
(i) if the Minister cannot consider assigning local tour operators to perform this activity;
(ii) when the ministry will impose strict regulations so that there will be no access to National Parks without tour operators and vehicles;
(iii) if the ministry will consider encouraging big companies in the tourism industry to support small companies by giving them some activities;
(iv) if the Minister will consider collecting and monitoring bed levy funds to Batswana on behalf of the Government; and
(v) whether the ministry will regulate the number of vehicles and boats owned by big companies in the tourism industry.
MINISTER OF ENVIRONMENT, NATURAL RESOURCES CONSERVATION AND TOURISM (MS KERENG): Thank you Mr Speaker. Thank you for the question Honourable Majaga.
Mr Speaker, the existing policies being the wildlife and National Park Act and the Tourism Policy who allow for different categories of visitors into protected areas such as Chobe National Park and that includes self-drives.
This set-up is intended to cater for tourists of various categories to have equal access into the Chobe National Park.
The arrangement provides the means through which a large proportion of Batswana can afford access into the park. Furthermore, it is part of the regional… [Technical glitch]
MR SPEAKER: Honourable Minister, there is too much echo where you are, I am not sure what is wrong.… (Inaudible) … If you can move a little bit and continue please!
MS KERENG: Eish! the network seems to be a challenge this side Mr Speaker. Mr Speaker, can I continue?
MR SPEAKER: Yes, continue.
MS KERENG: Thank you sir. The Wildlife Conservation and National Parks Act regulate self-drive visitors in terms of appropriate vehicles and general conduct which is strictly enforced by park staff.
Mr Speaker, local tour operators are allowed to ferry tourists in and out of Parks and Game Reserves, Chobe National Park included. This explains the considerable number of day visits undertaken by local tour operators into some of the Parks and Reserves.
Government also took a deliberate decision to lease out campsites inside parks and game reserves to private operators who support mobile safaris and individual camping guests visiting our parks.
The ministry has reserved the activity of receiving and transporting travellers and guests within protected areas under Category C of the trading licence.
However, Mr Speaker, it should be noted that the activity of self-drives satisfies a specific market for tourists who derive pleasure out of driving themselves across our parks. So, it is the market segment that we do not want to jeopardise in offering opportunities for them to experience driving around the park.
(ii) Mr Speaker, the current legislation does not restrict entrance into the national parks by private vehicles. This approach is one of the means through which a large proportion of Batswana can afford access into our protected areas. Mr Speaker, during the next financial year, my ministry will conduct consultations on the possibility of establishing self-drives regulatory body that will establish principles and ethics in line with international best practice. That is to create a balance among actors and participants in the tourism sector.
(iii) Mr Speaker, even though my ministry encourages business relationships between companies that are involved in the tourism and hospitality industry in general, such working relationships and related arrangements are a prerogative of the private sector itself. Suffice to mention, Mr Speaker, that there are cases where large companies do engage local companies and small operators for that matter to assist them with certain services, especially ferrying of tourists and guiding them around our protected areas and that includes operating of boats in the Okavango Delta. In terms of accommodation facilities such as hotels and mobile tour operators, they are also involved in working together with large operators.
(iv) Mr Speaker, the Department of Tourism under my ministry is mandated to collect bed levy in accordance with Regulation 13 (Tourism Regulations 2010). All accommodation facilities pay tourism levy into the Tourism Industry Training Fund and the Department of Tourism does monitor all licensed operators for compliance with the Tourism Act to ensure that these levies are paid.
I would like to mention Mr Speaker, that we are currently working on reviewing all our funding orders in order to make our funding ...(inaudible)… Tourism Industry Training Fund to be more accessible to our operators in terms of building their capacity so that they can adequately and efficiently participate in the tourism activities.
(v) Mr Speaker, most of our national parks and game reserves do not have problems in terms of traffic levels except for the riverfront segment of the Chobe National Park. I wish 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. It is going to determine the capacity of the river in terms of carrying the load of boats and it would determine for the size and amounts of operations that should be as we progress in building our tourists per sector.
In an effort to manage number of vehicles and boats along the Chobe Riverfront, a holistic strategy that is meant to decongest the area was adopted in 2010. This strategy has helped to reduce traffic as desired, and continues to be implemented and monitored accordingly.
I wish to conclude by saying that Mr Speaker, the tourism strategy and management plan are going to help us to deal with issues of congestion and monitoring and regulation of the amount of boats and vehicles in our protected areas. I thank you, Mr Speaker.
MR MAJAGA: Supplementary. Thank you Mr Speaker and Honourable Minister. Gongwe o ka tlhalosa fa Honourable Minister gore are you aware that these big companies in the tourism industry are across the borders? Di kwa Zimbabwe, Botswana, Kasane, Victoria falls and Namibia. Are you aware that these companies ba thibela these small businesses to partake in all those activities ka gore they have got muscles? It is the same company ka kwa, Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe.How do you look on that? Thank you.
MS KERENG: I thank you Mr Speaker. Thank you Honourable Member. I can agree with you that there could be potential or possibility of maybe low balancing in terms of access and benefits by a different scale of operators in the sector. I do not have information that suggests that local operators are being jeopardised because Acts that are regulating the movement of operators in the parks give equal opportunities for those who need the requirements in terms of accessing our national parks.
I would like to mention that probably or ...(inaudible)… would be used for reviewing the Tourism Policy together with developing the master plan and the strategy to see how best it will balance access into tourism. You will also know that our commitment is to afford Batswana owned companies and Batswana at large an opportunity to participate in the tourism sector in a better way as we move forward. I thank you Mr Speaker.
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