Week 7 - Katrina Shi

7. How does one reach out to national decision-makers or governance groups in the country of their startup in order to have their enterprise accepted? What steps do you plan to take to have your project approve by power-holders?

In the readings this week, we learn that Botswana’s successful development is the product of multiple factors in play: effective governing, abundant resources, the nation’s investment in infrastructure, as well as its preparation for the depletion of its national resources. The readings also discuss the nation’s tourism policy and how it has effected Botswana as a whole. It discusses how Botswana’s tourism policy of “high value low volume” policy has led to high-end tourism in the country’s wilderness areas, preventing local participation in the tourism industry, indirectly causing the economical disempowerment of native companies and investors as they fail to compete with wealthier foreign companies and investors.

Since Bhutan also follows a similar policy of “high value low volume,” in which the small amount of tourists who visit the nation are required to pay a daily tariff of $200-250. Thus when approaching the government and other decision makers in the nation, it is important for our startup to bear this in mind and emphasis our desire to help the local population through increasing the number of tourists visiting, as well as what steps we can take to protect and empower the local companies and investors rather than unintentionally economically disempowering them. Our group has to be careful and consider the locals’ wants and needs rather than simply enforcing our own ideologies and beliefs upon the people. 

Question: How can nations that rely on tourist industries to ensure high quality tourists without disenfranchising local tourism companies or investors? 

Sources: 

"Botswana Safari." Eyes on Africa: Travel and Safaris. Eyes on Africa, Ltd., n.d.
Levin, Michael. "Botswana's Success: Good Governance, Good Policies, and Good Luck." (n.d.): 81-89. 
Mbaiwa, Joseph E. "Poverty or riches: who benefits from the booming tourism industry in Botswana?" Journal of Contemporary African Studies. Routledge taylor and Francis Group, December 6, 2016.