The tourism business model in the African country of Botswana is one of lower guest volume and higher average daily rate.
Hoteliers there call the approach “high value, low tourism.”
Botswana has avoided overtourism and allowed wildlife to thrive, according to Riaan Venter, Southern Africa regional manager at hotel and safari-camp firm &Beyond. He added the strategy is “not a restriction but a visionary choice, one that has positioned the country as a benchmark for sustainable tourism across the world.”
&Beyond operates eight hotels and camps in Botswana in a portfolio of 32 properties in Bhutan, Botswana, Chile, Ecuador, Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, Peru, South Africa, Tanzania and Zanzibar. In 2014, the firm rebuilt and relaunched one of its Botswanan offerings, the 12-key &Beyond Sandibe Okavango Safari Lodge.
The property has exclusive traversing rights over 22,500 hectares — or roughly 55,600 acres — of land bordering the Moremi Game Reserve. Several of &Beyond's safari camps fund, support and lead conservation campaigns.
Approximately 30 miles away from &Beyond Sandibe Okavango Safari Lodge is another luxury camp-style Okavango Delta offering, the Wilderness Mombo, with eight keys. It was completely rebuilt in 2018 and has recently opened a dedicated wellness space, The Sanctuary, and it also has exclusive rights to a private reserve, a policy that helps ease pressure on land, communities and wildlife.
Wilderness Mombo is managed by Wilderness Group, which has more than 60 camps and lodges in eight African countries. Andrew Johnson, Wilderness Group’s head of business development projects, said any new development such as this wellness addition requires consideration and thoughtfulness, notably around people flow between the camp and its nearby sibling, four-key Little Mombo.
“It meant sequencing the build almost hour by hour, managing noise, visibility and access, and coordinating the team so that the work never disrupted the guest experience," he said. "It required a level of discipline and communication that you do not often see on remote projects of this scale."
Johnson added Wilderness Group is working "with a very clear design intent."
"The Sanctuary was a chance to apply biophilic principles properly, not as an aesthetic layer, but as part of how the space makes people feel. We spent time considering proportions, airflow, how light moves through the structure and how each opening frames the views of the Okavango Delta,” he said.
Nothing done lightly
The importance of Botswana's Okavango Delta, which sits amid the Kalahari Desert, must not be undervalued, Venter said. Its annual floodwaters from the Angolan highlands create a “dynamic mosaic of islands, lagoons and floodplain that sustains exceptional biodiversity and shapes every decision about movement and development in the region.”
It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and legislation restricts bed numbers, enforce low impact building approaches and require measurable conservation and community outcomes. Venter said being custodian of this land is a responsibility no one takes lightly.
“Operating a luxury safari lodge in the Okavango Delta requires constant logistical precision while protecting a living, shifting ecosystem,” Venter said.
“Supplies and building materials must be flown in or moved through channels that change with the floods, so access can be reshaped overnight. Plans must adapt quickly,” he added.
The property relaunched in 2014 and was revamped again in 2020, and Venter believes that work set a benchmark for sustainable safari design.
Johnson agreed that Botswana is a world leader in the field of sustainable, nature-based tourism.
“The high quality of the natural capital on which the industry depends, and the tourism products based on this, are such that the country’s tourism products are able to charge selling prices that are the highest in Southern Africa," he said.
The intention for Wilderness Mombo was not to merely provide opulence but more so coherence, “to create spaces where materials breathe, where guests feel lighter,” Johnson said.
Botswana has also invested heavily in its tourism, he added.
"It makes the greatest economic impact, with the tourism industry as a major employer and the second largest contributor to foreign-exchange earnings. … It makes the greatest impact on communities, with the prices charged for Botswana’s best products requiring the best wildlife, best camp and best service," Johnson said. "This means large numbers of staff to provide the necessary quality of service, with these staff members coming from local communities.”
Botswana's government has long prioritized high-value, low-volume tourism, with the Delta divided into controlled areas, or concessions, for wildlife conservation and photographic tourism, Johnson said.
“There are strict limits on the number of camps, beds and vehicles allowed in each concession,” he said.
Venter added approximately 95% of &Beyond Sandibe Okavango Safari Lodge’s team are Botswanan, many from neighboring communities such as the Gogomoga, Shorobe and Tsutsubega, which at the &Beyond Academy take part in training programs that build expertise in hospitality, guiding and management.
“This ongoing investment not only strengthens the lodge’s operational excellence but also nurtures a pipeline of local talent capable of leading Botswana’s tourism and conservation industries into the future,” he said.
Constant energy
About 70% of &Beyond Sandibe Okavango Safari Lodge’s energy derives from a Rolls-Royce battery-storage, hybrid solar-power system that Venter said is unique in the area.
“The result was a transformation that introduced Sandibe’s now-iconic pangolin-inspired architecture, a pioneering hybrid solar-energy system and an elevated guest experience that redefined what luxury could mean in the Okavango Delta,” he said.
The property’s renewable energy sources have significantly reduced reliance on diesel generators and lowered its carbon footprint.
“This setup ensures reliable electricity for guest suites, communal spaces and operational facilities, maintaining uninterrupted comfort while preserving the Delta’s serenity. By reducing generator runtime, the lodge not only minimizes emissions but also lowers maintenance demands and limits environmental disturbance, a living example of how technology can serve sustainability,” he said.
Getting away
Few places on Earth offer the same sense of remoteness, connection and tranquility as the Okavango Delta does, which makes it popular with guests, Venter said.
“The greatest joy is the Delta itself. … Every day brings new discoveries that remind us that operating here is a privilege. It calls for humility, deep respect for nature and a daily commitment to making choices that ensure this extraordinary wilderness is left in a better place than we found it,” he said.
Botswana’s tourism model focuses on fewer guests to allow a better balance with the environment, Venter said.
“It’s not exclusivity for its own sake but intentional protection of a rare ecosystem so that future generations may experience it as we do today,” he said.
Conservation and education programs at &Beyond Sandibe Okavango Safari Lodge include WILDchild in which children learn to track animal spoor, identify bird calls and make traditional crafts with local artisans.
Wilderness Group also has an in-house training school.
“To date, more than 400 people have been trained in a variety of career-shaping skills, thus helping to uplift communities, build careers and generate more wealth for staff,” Johnson said.
Venter agreed conservation and community are inseparable.
“Our work is guided by the understanding that true sustainability means ensuring tourism delivers real, lasting value to the people who call this wilderness home,” he said.
In addition, &Beyond Sandibe Okavango Safari Lodge sources approximately 89% of its operational spend from Botswanan businesses, supporting local suppliers, farmers and artisans. Traditional crafts are sold in its shop. Guests participate in community visits. The With Wild Impact program supports such projects as the phased development of Sexaxa Primary School, the provision of clean water and health and hygiene schemes and the development of the Community Leaders Education Fund that provides tertiary education bursaries for rural students.
In June, Wilderness Group launched the Wildlife Friendly beef value chain, which Johnson said “connects remote farming communities in Northern Botswana to Wilderness’ camps, while encouraging human-wildlife coexistence.”
Wild dog, hyena and honey badger
Botswana's careful tourism drives the country's wildlife conservation. Johnson said Wilderness Group and its guests paid $17.1 million in 2025 to the governments and communities it operates in, its highest-ever annual payment to date. He described that money as "the most direct and meaningful contributions … to conservation and rural development."
"These payments give economic value to wildlife, support rural livelihoods and help make conservation a viable, long-term solution, while allowing us to share some of the most extraordinary places on Earth,” he said.
The &Beyond Sandibe Okavango Safari Lodge has partnerships with the University of Oxford’s WildCRU Trans-Kalahari Predator Program, which protects wildlife corridors, and the Botswana Predator Conservation Trust’s African Wild Dog Dispersal Study, which plays a vital role in managing and safeguarding one of Africa’s most endangered species.
Venter said his favorite animal is the pack-hunting African wild dog.
“They represent everything I love about Botswana — resilience, unity and an untamed beauty that’s both fragile and fierce. … There’s an incredible sense of purpose in how they operate. Every individual plays a role, and their survival depends entirely on teamwork and communication. It’s a reminder of how deeply interconnected everything in the Delta really is,” he said.
Even now, Venter thinks of seeing the species as "a reward, proof that collaboration and persistence can bring the wild back to life."
"There’s something humbling about standing quietly as the pack disappears into the Botswana bush, the air still, the Delta waking up around you,” he added.
Johnson said he could not decide between the hyena and the honey badger as his favorite local species.
“Hyenas are strategic, intelligent, highly cooperative and still capable of being completely independent," he said. "Honey badgers bring a fearless, stubborn determination that’s unmatched in the bush,” he said. “One leans on sharp thinking and team dynamics, the other on pure grit and refusal to quit. It’s a combination I’ve always admired.”