Responsible Tourism Critical Issues for Conservation and Development

All too often conservation efforts are seen to be in conflict with local livelihoods and resource use. As more land and natural resources are incorporated into protected areas 'responsible tourism' is often invoked as a way to serve both conservation ends and support local livelihoods and promote economic development. Yet does it actually work in practice?

Employing case studies drawn from across southern Africa - one of the testing grounds for the idea that responsible tourism can promote biodiversity conservation and poverty alleviation - this book provides a comprehensive, evidence based examination of the range of issues of what works and what does not. The book opens with an overview of the issues, looks at what sustainable and responsible tourism are in practice and how they may contribute to conservation, poverty alleviation and local economic development. Part one provides a rich examination of policies and institutional activities in responsible tourism by governments, donor agencies and non-governmental organizations in South Africa and Mozambique. Part two considers wildlife tourism and ecotourism across southern Africa, looking at local economic development, local benefits from tourism (such as equity and employment), supply and demand for responsible tourism, certification and fair trade, the economics of wildlife tourism, transfrontier conservation areas, ecological impacts of tourism and a host of other issues. Part three looks at community based tourism in more detail with case studies of various projects drawn from across the region including Namibia, Zimbabwe, Zambia and from as far north as Tanzania. The book concludes with a detailed synthesis of the key findings with implications for policy, management and the business side of tourism.

This is an essential reference and a unique and rich source of cases studies and salient insights for professionals and academics from across conservation, development and tourism.

Published with the Southern African Sustainable Use Specialist Group (SASUSG) of IUCN

Responsible Tourism presents a wide variety of valuable lessons learned in responsible tourism initiatives in Southern Africa that many tourism practitioners can use in their efforts to make the tourism sector work for the poor and for the environment. Dr Harsh Varma, Director, Development Assistance Department, World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) For those interested in how tourism can assist in the economic and social development of societies in need, Responsible Tourism effectively integrates scales and types of knowledge to present an informative, stimulating perspective. It will be on my bookshelf. Steve McCool, Professor Emeritus, Wildland Recreation Management, University of Montana Responsible tourism is one of the most significant contemporary issues for tourism scholars and practitioners alike. This useful and clearly written collection of new research demonstrates the innovations in responsible tourism occurring within southern Africa and provides lessons for international research and practice. Professor Christian Rogerson, University of Witwatersrand, South Africa Conservation efforts are often seen to be in conflict with local livelihoods and resource use - the park versus people debate. Responsible tourism and Ecotourism are often invoked as a third way that serve both ends. Yet do they actually work in practice? This volume delves deep into practice in southern Africa, the hotbed of innovation on the issue, and provides a comprehensive, evidence-based examination of what works and what fails, using a wealth of information from scholars and practitioners working in the region. This book opens with an overview of the issues, looks at what sustainable and responsible tourism are in practice and how they may contribute to conservation, poverty alleviation and local economic development. Part 1 examines policies and institutional activities in responsible tourism by governments, donor agencies and nongovernmental organizations, and addresses the market for responsible travel. Part 2 considers responsible nature-based tourism, the economics of wildlife tourism and ecotourism, transfrontier conservation areas, ecological impacts of tourism and other issues. Part 3 looks at more detailed case studies of community-based tourism projects, and highlights the reasons for successes and failures in this sector. The book concludes with a synthesis of the key findings with implications for policy, destination planning, business management, and future private sector and donor interventions. Published with the Southern African Sustainable Use Specialist Group (SASUSG) of IUCN

Foreword by UNWTO * Introduction: Responsible Tourism in Southern Africa * Part I: Policies, Institutional Interventions and Market Forces * Local Economic Development in Mozambique: An Assessment of the Implementation of Tourism Policy as a Means to Promote Local Economies * Ecotourism in Madagascar: How a Sleeping Beauty is Finally Awakening * Public-Private Partnerships in South African National Parks: The Rationale, Benefits and Lessons Learned * A Perspective on Community-based Tourism from South Africa: The TRANSFORM Programme, 1996-2007 * Responsible Tourism and the Tourism Industry: A Demand and Supply Perspective * The Development Impacts of Tourism Supply Chains: Increasing Impact on Poverty and Decreasing Our Ignorance * Part II: Responsible Nature-based Tourism * Impacts of Wildlife Tourism on Rural Livelihoods in Southern Africa * Tourism in Transfrontier Conservation Areas: The Kavango-Zambezi TFCA * The Realities of Ecotourism Development in Botswana * Citizen Participation in the Lodge Sector of the Okavango Delta * The Impacts of Tourism Initiatives on Rural Livelihoods and Poverty Reduction in South Africa: Mathenjwa and Mqobela * Madikwe Game Reserve, South Africa - Investment and Employment * Part III: Community-based Tourism * Local Impacts of Community-based Tourism in Southern Africa * Livelihoods, Conservation and Community-based Tourism in Tanzania: Potential and Performance * The Unsustainability of Community Tourism Donor Projects: Lessons from Zambia * Community-based Tourism and Natural Resource Management in Namibia: Local and National Economic Impacts * Part IV: Conclusions * Implications of Responsible Tourism for Conservation and Development in Southern Africa * Index

Dr Anna Spenceley is a tourism specialist based in South Africa. She is president and founder of Spenceley Tourism and Development, providing a range of innovative solutions in sustainable tourism globally.