ABSTRACT
Community-based ecotourism via community-based natural resource management (CBNRM) is relatively new in Botswana, especially in the Kalahari region. Generally, in Botswana, there is paucity of empirical research with respect to the examination of social and economic benefits of tourism within the wider local communities. This issue is evident in remote communities, specifically among the San/Basarwa of the Kalahari region. Hence, the purpose of this study was: 1) to explore the level of tourism awareness and ecotourism knowledge; and 2) to assess the socioeconomic impacts of community-based ecotourism on the San/Basarwa communities residing closer to the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park (KTP) in the greater Kalahari region in western Botswana. The research findings were encouraging for the KTP adjacent communities and the San/Basarwa in particular, as they indicated high awareness and knowledge of ecotourism-related resources within their villages. Community-based tourism industry benefits many Indigenous individuals in various ways, and the San/Basarwa people are no exception. Although this case study uncovered the positive effects of tourism on the San/Basarwa community, there are still issues that need to be addressed if tourism is to be further developed and beneficial.
