Intangible Heritage and Tourism Development at the Tsodilo World Heritage Site

Heritage tourism at Tsodilo, Botswana, while economically beneficial, accelerates cultural change and may undermine the conservation aims of World Heritage status. The study finds that commodification through tourism transforms intangible heritage values, particularly for ethnic minorities, as communities are increasingly tied to self-reliance in a market economy. Using a case study approach, it analyzes the tension between heritage preservation (criterion vi) and the economic pressures of tourism development, examining how heritage management plans—modeled on community-based natural resource management (CBNRM)—reshape local identities and gender roles. The research highlights the political complexities of heritage conservation in Botswana, where national narratives of inclusion clash with the realities of ethnic marginalization and globalization.

Giraudo, R. F. (2012). Intangible Heritage and Tourism Development at the Tsodilo World Heritage Site. Azania: Archaeological Research in Africa, 47(1), 129–130. https://doi.org/10.1080/0067270x.2011.647953