the role of tourism in natural resource management in the okavango ...

2.14 Summary and Conclusion
This chapter examined and defined the subject of tourism, and its impact on the
development of Third World countries. It considered the concepts of international
tourism, mass tourism, alternative and eco-tourism, and their impact on the tourism
industry as a whole. The social, economic and environmental costs and benefits of
tourism development on Third World countries were analysed. Finally, this chapter
reviewed the concept of natural resource management and analysed the impacts of
tourism on host destinations natural resource bases, dealt with the concepts of
sustainability and outlined community-based and pro-poor approaches to tourism
development.
Tourism brings changes to a host society through the altering of the environment
within which the community exists - an environment which is both physical and
social. What may be concluded is that while tourism is clearly a catalyst for change,
the nature of the change is not always predictable, and is often dependent upon the
volume, and type of tourist visiting the area, and the level of economic development
of the host society. Therefore, the greater the level of control, placed upon the
number of tourists visiting a destination, and their permitted environmental and
social impacts, the smaller the changes to a host community, resulting from the
development of tourism (Ryan, 1991).
The next chapter presents the theoretical framework within which this study is
located.
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