Ecotourism development and female empowerment in Botswana: A review

• Ecotourism has a potential to empower women
• Ecotourism development has a dual effect of empowerment and disempowerment for Botswana’s rural women.
• Through the NES, Botswana has missed an opportunity to empower women through a gender neutral policy.
• There is need for more political will on the part of policy makers and implementers to boldly address (and appreciate) the situation of women in society.
• More work should be done to advance the interests of women and also promote their empowerment in ecotourism development.

In this paper we review the literature on ecotourism development and women empowerment in Botswana. Using social exchange theory, we argue that ecotourism development has a dual effect of empowerment and disempowerment for Botswana's rural women. On the one hand, we note the potential and opportunities that clearly targeted ecotourism development agenda can present for empowering women. On the other hand, we demonstrate instances of missed opportunities and challenges in the approach arising, among others, from; gender neutral policy (e.g. NES document) and implementation procedures. Giving examples, we subject the different scenarios to the SET framework and scrutinise the rhetoric of ´what is in it for women´. We conclude by calling for more political will on the part of policy makers and implementers to boldly address (and appreciate) the situation of women in society and work towards advancing their interests and promoting their empowerment in ecotourism development.