A short history of the Delta and Oddballs camps is an interesting illustration of the transition between different types of tourism mentioned above. It started shortly after Lodges of Botswana bought Delta Camp in 1983. During their first year they not only catered to upmarket visitors, but also used the camp as a base for the mokoro trips of more budget-conscious travellers.
This mix didn’t work in one camp, and so in 1984 they built a separate lower-budget camp at the other end of their island. The nickname of their first manager was ‘Oddball’, and so this became Oddball’s Camp. Oddball’s marketing was astute and well targeted, portraying a relaxed, hippie hangout where spaced-out campers could find paradise on their own island in the Delta. This became a buzzing base for budget mokoro trips in the heart of the Delta – the backpacker’s place in the Delta, known in hostels from Nairobi to Cape Town, and beyond.
It was very successful. At first they just had showers, toilets and a (fridge-less) bar; campers brought all their own food and kit. It grew fast, eventually encompassing a shop for campers and food, as well as chilled drinks from a fully-fledged bar.
When business peaked during the late 80s and early 90s, they had up to 120 visitors per day flying in, some camping for a night in the camp and others heading out on mokoro trips. Then there were no limits on how many visitors the camp could accept. The camp had a rule that every visitor had to stay at Oddball’s for at least one night.
Then two things happened which changed this business. Firstly, in July 1989 the government raised its national park fees from P10 per person per week to P30 per person per day. Mokoro trips from Oddball’s had always been to Moremi, and this increased their prices dramatically.
Secondly, there had long been a process of ‘tendering’ for camps – whereby safari operators bid for the lease to operate safari camps. In 1996 the government introduced new leases to camps in many of the Delta’s reserves, insisting that safari companies not only produce large cheques for rental and royalties (per visitor), but also a ‘management plan’ for the reserves. These became effective in January 1997.
In drawing up these detailed management plans, the safari companies were forced to look not only at their game and environmental policies, and the sustainability of them, but also how they trained their staff, and what they were doing to help the wider community in the area. This process raised the issues of sustainability, responsible tourism and community development – and placed them in the centre of the government’s decision-making process. Thus, it made them important to the safari operators.
Oddball’s had started a programme of training their polers as early as 1988. Like all camps, it now insists that all of its polers have a qualification as a professional mokoro guide. The government insists that standards like these are now applied across the board for all the camps in the region.
By 1997 Oddballs alone had about 35 mokoro guides working for them. They were able to renew their leases on Oddball’s and its smaller, upmarket sister-camp, Delta Camp. However, the government had made a hard bargain: they had to reduce the number of visitors down to a maximum combined total of 60 people at any one time. That was 40 guests at Oddball’s and 20 at Delta Camp, a fraction of past numbers.
Immediately prices had to be increased in order to cover their costs from a much smaller base of visitors. In December 1999 both camps were extensively renovated; the economics dictated that they had to move more upmarket, charging more, to stay in business. The camp on the Oddball’s site was rebuilt in much greater style, as a fully fledged upmarket camp that could command high prices. Then the names of the two camps were switched. This newly built camp on the site of Oddball’s old site is now known as Delta Camp. Whilst the older camp which was once known as Delta Camp became Oddballs (without an apostrophe this time).
Thus the budget 1980s camp has became an upmarket camp for the next century; whilst the original budget camp has been totally rebuilt and refurbished as a new luxurious camp, to standards which are now so much higher than they were.
This is a text-book example of what has happened right across Botswana. Pressure from the government, using park fees and the concessions as tools of implementation, has led to lower numbers of visitors right across Botswana’s wild areas, and hence to more costly safaris and more upmarket lodges. For their money visitors now get a much more exclusive experience, guided by polers who have more training and better skills than before – and are paid better as the result.
In summary: the environment benefits, the local people benefit, Botswana’s finances benefit, and even the visitors get a better experience – that is, those who can still afford to visit!