Abstract
Rural areas are experiencing major socio-economic changes with a need to transform and diversify rural livelihoods. In this context, tourism industry is increasingly used as a tool for local development with an aim to facilitate participation and integration of communities in tourism planning and operations. This study explores the development of community-based cultural and heritage tourism, utilizing the integrated rural tourism (IRT) as a guiding framework. The paper relies on the results of a qualitative study carried out in and around the village of Kalakamati in the North-East District of Botswana. In-depth interviews were carried out with selected respondents associated with Mantenge, Domboshaba and Gandanyemba heritage sites. Based on the interview results, the paper argues that IRT can be a useful tool in assessing development of rural tourism in the country but needs to be carefully contextualized in developing countries situations.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.