The environmental impacts of tourism on community people’s quality of life in Maun, Botswana.

• Main Authors: Idowu Oladeji Kolawole (PhD Scholar), J.E. Mbaiwa (PhD), G. Mmopelwa (PhD)
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: AfricaJournals 2016-08-01
• Series: African Journal of Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure
• Subjects: Tourism development; Environmental impacts; Quality of Life; Botswana
• Online Access: http://www.ajhtl.com/uploads/7/1/6/3/7163688/article_5_vol._5__4_.pdf

While tourism development beautifies community environment through preservation and conservation of nature, the development is also a potential destruction of natural environment in the same community. This study investigates the relationship between environmental impacts of tourism on people’s quality of life in Maun, Botswana. The questionnaire was used to collect data from 400 households who were 18 years or older and have stayed in Maun for at least a year at the time of this study. The hypothesis developed to measure the structural model was based on the social exchange theory. Analysis was carried out using the AMOS 16.0 software. The estimated standardised coefficient for the path from environmental impacts to people’s quality of life is -0.18 and statistically significant (p<.05) of which the variance explained by the model is 26%. The significant negative relationship between tourism environmental impacts and people’s quality of life could be associated with the identification of the factors including drivers of environmental pollution and degradation of environment that poses health and safety problems in the community. Therefore, the implications of the findings are that tourism policymakers need a strategic plan to reduce the negative impact of environmental pollution including increased solid waste and water pollution; and public place and degradation of environment for tourism development to be sustainable.