schoelinkThemenstarter1'933 Beiträge · seit 200701. März 2010 · #1Environment should bring safari parties together
Johan Knols, www.planyoursafari.com
This morning I read an article about the tourism company &Beyond opening a semi-permanent camp in the Moremi Game Reserve. Big deal I hear you thinking. But hang on, there is a lot more to it than what meets the eye.
Moremi Game Reserve receives three different kind of guest: Those that visit the permanent lodges, the ones that participate in ‘mobile (tented)safaris’ and the ones that choose to do a so called ‘self-drive safari’. With all these tourists wanting to see one of the most spectacular areas of Africa, Moremi is the busiest protected area in Botswana. This means that strict rules and regulations had to be drawn up in order to maximize the income out of tourism and to protect the environment at the same time. No more permanent lodges were to be build in the Game Reserve and the amount of public- and private campsites had to remain stable.
Public campsites
Botswana is very popular with people that rent their own vehicle and make a trip on their own. The fact that in the northern part of the country Moremi Game Reserve and Chobe National Park are linked together makes it extremely suitable to spend several days on end in the wilderness, especially after the public campsites were revamped and the facilities were upgraded.
But over the years Botswana has become a victim of its own success. The demand for spots on the public campsites increased rapidly and the terribly under-equipped department of Wildlife and National Parks could not longer deal with the work-load. Add to this that so called ‘tag-along’ safaris made their appearance (a safari where a leading (foreign tour-operator )vehicle takes out tourists that drive their own vehicle) and the result became too many people camping in one spot, over-bookings or bookers were sent away because campsites were ‘full’, as in reality they were not. The fact that there is no policing at all in the reserve only aggravated the situation.
But the public campsites had to deal with more than only self-drives. The demand from the cheaper mobile safari operators also increased. Camping on the private tour-operator sites is more costly than camping on the public campsites, so the operators that wanted to offer more affordable safaris also started to look at the public campsites. Needless to say that they think that they have right of way over self-drives from foreign countries. They pay taxes in Botswana, employ local staff and the spin-off effect of their operations remains in the country. The Department of Wildlife and National Parks and the Botswana Tourism Department are now faced with the question who has priority when booking a public campsite: The local safari-operator or the tag-along-selfdrive tourist. And although the outcome is not official as yet, it is clear from the e-mail below who will get priority in the future. This email was send from the Botswana Tourism Department to a foreign operator (Come-Along.nl) who organizes self-drive safaris.
“Good afternoon,
Thank you for email regarding the above. Kindly be informed that the government of Botswana is still to decide on the matter. However, such a measure if taken is only for the reasons to safeguard the environment from degradation by uncontrolled movement of visitors as well as to reduce the influx of visitors in the same area at the same time. This measure, if finalized by the authorities, will be to empower locals in the tourism industry as a way of employment creation and improve the lives of the rural community.
Please note that the issue is still discussed and the situation still stands as it was before until we the final word from the officials. Self-drive visitors are still welcome in our beautiful country.
Kind Regards
Clement Nsala (Botswana Tourism)”
Although I am in favor of supporting the local operators, it is clear that the self-drive segment within Botswana’s tourism has had its longest time.
Mobile Operator Sites
For those tourists that can afford a more expensive camping experience, the option is available to book with a company that is a member of HATAB (Hospitality and Tourism Association of Botswana). Instead of camping on the (very) busy public campsites, they have the luxury of camping on a private spot in the bush without facilities. This means that the safari-operator has to truck in everything, from tents, tables and chairs to toilets and showers.
The private spots can be found throughout the reserves and parks and the idea is to facilitate the mobile operators in creating a string of private sites that make traveling and moving camps possible. Again due to the popularity of Botswana as a destination, did HATAB request an increase in the amount of sites. An increase that has always been turned down by the Botswana government.
With pressure on the existing camp-sites mounting, HATAB created a code of conduct and those companies that don’t apply with those rules and regulations can be expelled from the organization by a decision of the other members. The whole idea is that members control themselves and that the impact on the environment is being reduced to a minimum.
Amongst others, there are two clear rules that are important:
“1/ Mobile Operator Sites may NOT be used for the sale of individual bed nights.
2/ The guide (s) and guests on a Mobile safari must all travel together. The equipment or back up crews must follow the same or similar itinerary as the guests. No equipment may remain in an area ( defined as a grouping of MOS in an area of the National Parks or Game Reserves under the current HATAB reservation system ) on a semi-permanent or permanent basis. Only Mobile Operators who fit this description will be able to use the MO sites. Any operator who is perceived by the HATAB mobile sector to be erecting or operating any form of permanent or semi-permanent camp will be removed from the MO sites and disciplined accordingly”.
It is very obvious that &Beyond is violating these rules. Nevertheless have they already announced their new program ‘Moremi Under Canvas’ online as well as offline.
Where normally the HATAB members deal with their own problems, I now foresee a very complicated issue: the company involved has violated a rule, is going against the whole mobile safari ideology, but might get protection from above since it is big and influential.
It is very likely that the minister of tourism has to intervene and since it is clear how he thinks about the mobile safari sector as a whole, it means that more dark clouds are gathering above the mobile safari sector of Botswana and that its future is even more uncertain than it was before.
Safari Lodges
The prices of the Botswana safari lodges belong to one of the highest in Africa, but the demand for rooms is still high. This is the reason why the government decided to give the go-ahead to create more of the same and pump-up its tourism revenue. Licenses were handed out to safari companies and more lodges mushroom out of the dry Kalahari sands.
So what is happening to the ‘low-volume-high-cost’ principle? That is of course perfectly in place. If the emphasis is on expensive lodges that mostly have 16 beds per lodge, nothing is wrong. But it is a known fact that many government officials have shares in the tourism companies that are so eager to build.
The future
So what does all the above mean for the (near) future?
If the government sticks to the principle of ‘low-volume-high-cost-tourism’, something has to change and the easiest way to release the pressure on a vulnerable environment is to cut down on the self-drives. The big question is whether the mobile safari industry will be the next victim if the government would have to intervene in the problems of HATAB. Would the company that offers one night safaris get what it wants, than I predict that more mobile safari companies will follow its example. This certainly means that the mobile safari industry also had its longest time and that Botswana will become only a place with lodges for the wealthy and rich. But that might well be in the interest of the government officials who already have a steady finger in the lodge-pie!
Johan Knols
Johan Knols, www.planyoursafari.com
This morning I read an article about the tourism company &Beyond opening a semi-permanent camp in the Moremi Game Reserve. Big deal I hear you thinking. But hang on, there is a lot more to it than what meets the eye.
Moremi Game Reserve receives three different kind of guest: Those that visit the permanent lodges, the ones that participate in ‘mobile (tented)safaris’ and the ones that choose to do a so called ‘self-drive safari’. With all these tourists wanting to see one of the most spectacular areas of Africa, Moremi is the busiest protected area in Botswana. This means that strict rules and regulations had to be drawn up in order to maximize the income out of tourism and to protect the environment at the same time. No more permanent lodges were to be build in the Game Reserve and the amount of public- and private campsites had to remain stable.
Public campsites
Botswana is very popular with people that rent their own vehicle and make a trip on their own. The fact that in the northern part of the country Moremi Game Reserve and Chobe National Park are linked together makes it extremely suitable to spend several days on end in the wilderness, especially after the public campsites were revamped and the facilities were upgraded.
But over the years Botswana has become a victim of its own success. The demand for spots on the public campsites increased rapidly and the terribly under-equipped department of Wildlife and National Parks could not longer deal with the work-load. Add to this that so called ‘tag-along’ safaris made their appearance (a safari where a leading (foreign tour-operator )vehicle takes out tourists that drive their own vehicle) and the result became too many people camping in one spot, over-bookings or bookers were sent away because campsites were ‘full’, as in reality they were not. The fact that there is no policing at all in the reserve only aggravated the situation.
But the public campsites had to deal with more than only self-drives. The demand from the cheaper mobile safari operators also increased. Camping on the private tour-operator sites is more costly than camping on the public campsites, so the operators that wanted to offer more affordable safaris also started to look at the public campsites. Needless to say that they think that they have right of way over self-drives from foreign countries. They pay taxes in Botswana, employ local staff and the spin-off effect of their operations remains in the country. The Department of Wildlife and National Parks and the Botswana Tourism Department are now faced with the question who has priority when booking a public campsite: The local safari-operator or the tag-along-selfdrive tourist. And although the outcome is not official as yet, it is clear from the e-mail below who will get priority in the future. This email was send from the Botswana Tourism Department to a foreign operator (Come-Along.nl) who organizes self-drive safaris.
“Good afternoon,
Thank you for email regarding the above. Kindly be informed that the government of Botswana is still to decide on the matter. However, such a measure if taken is only for the reasons to safeguard the environment from degradation by uncontrolled movement of visitors as well as to reduce the influx of visitors in the same area at the same time. This measure, if finalized by the authorities, will be to empower locals in the tourism industry as a way of employment creation and improve the lives of the rural community.
Please note that the issue is still discussed and the situation still stands as it was before until we the final word from the officials. Self-drive visitors are still welcome in our beautiful country.
Kind Regards
Clement Nsala (Botswana Tourism)”
Although I am in favor of supporting the local operators, it is clear that the self-drive segment within Botswana’s tourism has had its longest time.
Mobile Operator Sites
For those tourists that can afford a more expensive camping experience, the option is available to book with a company that is a member of HATAB (Hospitality and Tourism Association of Botswana). Instead of camping on the (very) busy public campsites, they have the luxury of camping on a private spot in the bush without facilities. This means that the safari-operator has to truck in everything, from tents, tables and chairs to toilets and showers.
The private spots can be found throughout the reserves and parks and the idea is to facilitate the mobile operators in creating a string of private sites that make traveling and moving camps possible. Again due to the popularity of Botswana as a destination, did HATAB request an increase in the amount of sites. An increase that has always been turned down by the Botswana government.
With pressure on the existing camp-sites mounting, HATAB created a code of conduct and those companies that don’t apply with those rules and regulations can be expelled from the organization by a decision of the other members. The whole idea is that members control themselves and that the impact on the environment is being reduced to a minimum.
Amongst others, there are two clear rules that are important:
“1/ Mobile Operator Sites may NOT be used for the sale of individual bed nights.
2/ The guide (s) and guests on a Mobile safari must all travel together. The equipment or back up crews must follow the same or similar itinerary as the guests. No equipment may remain in an area ( defined as a grouping of MOS in an area of the National Parks or Game Reserves under the current HATAB reservation system ) on a semi-permanent or permanent basis. Only Mobile Operators who fit this description will be able to use the MO sites. Any operator who is perceived by the HATAB mobile sector to be erecting or operating any form of permanent or semi-permanent camp will be removed from the MO sites and disciplined accordingly”.
It is very obvious that &Beyond is violating these rules. Nevertheless have they already announced their new program ‘Moremi Under Canvas’ online as well as offline.
Where normally the HATAB members deal with their own problems, I now foresee a very complicated issue: the company involved has violated a rule, is going against the whole mobile safari ideology, but might get protection from above since it is big and influential.
It is very likely that the minister of tourism has to intervene and since it is clear how he thinks about the mobile safari sector as a whole, it means that more dark clouds are gathering above the mobile safari sector of Botswana and that its future is even more uncertain than it was before.
Safari Lodges
The prices of the Botswana safari lodges belong to one of the highest in Africa, but the demand for rooms is still high. This is the reason why the government decided to give the go-ahead to create more of the same and pump-up its tourism revenue. Licenses were handed out to safari companies and more lodges mushroom out of the dry Kalahari sands.
So what is happening to the ‘low-volume-high-cost’ principle? That is of course perfectly in place. If the emphasis is on expensive lodges that mostly have 16 beds per lodge, nothing is wrong. But it is a known fact that many government officials have shares in the tourism companies that are so eager to build.
The future
So what does all the above mean for the (near) future?
If the government sticks to the principle of ‘low-volume-high-cost-tourism’, something has to change and the easiest way to release the pressure on a vulnerable environment is to cut down on the self-drives. The big question is whether the mobile safari industry will be the next victim if the government would have to intervene in the problems of HATAB. Would the company that offers one night safaris get what it wants, than I predict that more mobile safari companies will follow its example. This certainly means that the mobile safari industry also had its longest time and that Botswana will become only a place with lodges for the wealthy and rich. But that might well be in the interest of the government officials who already have a steady finger in the lodge-pie!
Johan Knols
