The ministry of environment natural resources’ conservation and tourism has announced the introduction of a tourism development levy (TDL) from 1 June, which will apply to all visitors to Botswana in exception of residents and citizens of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) member states.

The Botswana government describes the levy as ‘obligatory’ and says it will be set initially at $30 (£23) per person.

It describes the objective of the tax as raising funds for conservation and national tourism development ‘in order to support the growth of the industry and broaden the tourism base, resultantly improving the lives of the people of Botswana’.

The levy is payable at all ports of entry including airports and border posts, through electronic payment machines through cash (US dollars), debit and credit card.

After the payment, a unique receipt corresponding to the passport will be automatically generated. The receipt should then be presented to immigration officials. The passport and the receipt will be stamped and handed back to the traveller. The receipt will valid for a 30 day period and can be used for multiple entry.

In its statement, the Botswana government said it ‘remains committed to growing the contribution of tourism to the national economy as well as economic diversification and employment creation.’

There are around 1.6 million visitors to Botswana each year, of whom about 42,000 are British.