Economic analysis of the preferences and perceptions of tourists in the Okavango Delta, Botswana: implications for rural development

Abstract

The Okavango Delta, Botswana is one of the renowned inland deltas in the world. The Delta was declared a Ramsar and World Heritage sites in 1997 and 2014, respectively. This pristine wilderness habitat attracts international tourists, making it an international tourist destination. Despite its importance to various users, local communities and tourists, the Okavango Delta is faced with environmental threats due to population increase, tourism growth, and climate change. Furthermore, tourism planners have been faced with the challenge of diversifying tourism products in the Delta and improve the qualities of tourism experience. Thus, there is a need for valuation of the attributes of the Delta in relation to ecotourism and the marginal willingness for the attributes. This study therefore, used choice experiment method to analyse the preferences of tourists for ecotourism in the Okavango Delta and estimate their marginal willingness to pay for the attributes of the Delta.