The Government of the Republic of Namibia (GRN), through the Ministry of Environment and Tourism (MET), secured funding from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Global Environment Facility (GEF) for the Strengthening the Protected Area Network (SPAN) Project. The main aim of the SPAN Project is to strengthen Namibia's system of Protected Areas (PAs), supporting MET's goals of enhanced biodiversity, environmental protection and poverty alleviation through job creation and community involvement in the tourist sector. To meet this aim, the SPAN Project has supported investigations aimed at filling gaps in knowledge about Namibia's PA system. Information gaps identified included an absence of statistical information on current PA use patterns by tourists, and an absence of important information on determinants of use.