Botswana Protected Areas Fee Review (BIOFIN)

Aside from the inherent challenges associated with balancing numerous (sometimes competing, or even conflicting) objectives, protected area (PA) managers often have limited guiding information at their disposal to set fees. This includes bench marking data on fees in similar attractions and in competing countries, information about the PA offering, impression and expectations of visitors that determine their preferences and price points. Management authorities are also increasingly relying on consumer research. Stated preference techniques (such as contingent valuation and choice experiments) as well as travel cost methods, which look at visitors’ willingness to pay, are particularly commonly used to inform PA pricing. Botswana had been no exception to the practice, this review combined most techniques appropriate to review and recommend new fees for Botswana protected areas. It also recommends revenue retention to support Botswana’s efforts in responding to challenges such as its natural infrastructural maintenance and congestion along its wildlife hot spots areas. To read the full report, refer to the BIOFIN website.