Last week, the KAZA Secretariat attended the 10th annual Botswana Travel and Tourism Expo (BTTE) event held in Kasane from November 29 to December 3, 2023. Organised by Botswana Tourism Organisation, BTTE is an annual business-to-business forum where global wholesalers and retailers meet with local operators to promote their tourism products and services to a broader audience that may have limited knowledge of their offerings. Approximately 93 international travel agents and 165 local tour operators participated in the event.
Addressing attendees at the event, Acting Minister of Environment and Tourism, Hon. Nnaniki Makwinja highlighted the vulnerability of the sector, calling on businesses to make necessary transitions towards sustainable tourism practices in order to build a resilient tourism sector. “Whilst Botswana has incredible natural beauty, diversity, and rich cultural heritage, like many other nations, it is experiencing the impacts of climate change. We, therefore, call upon the private sector, civil society, academia, and individuals to join us in this critical endeavor of reducing our greenhouse gas emissions, adopting sustainable practices, and using clean and renewable energy sources”, she remarked.
Last week, the KAZA Secretariat attended the 10th annual Botswana Travel and Tourism Expo (BTTE) event held in Kasane from November 29 to December 3, 2023. Organised by Botswana Tourism Organisation, BTTE is an annual business-to-business forum where global wholesalers and retailers meet with local operators to promote their tourism products and services to a broader audience that may have limited knowledge of their offerings. Approximately 93 international travel agents and 165 local tour operators participated in the event.
Addressing attendees at the event, Acting Minister of Environment and Tourism, Hon. Nnaniki Makwinja highlighted the vulnerability of the sector, calling on businesses to make necessary transitions towards sustainable tourism practices in order to build a resilient tourism sector. “Whilst Botswana has incredible natural beauty, diversity, and rich cultural heritage, like many other nations, it is experiencing the impacts of climate change. We, therefore, call upon the private sector, civil society, academia, and individuals to join us in this critical endeavor of reducing our greenhouse gas emissions, adopting sustainable practices, and using clean and renewable energy sources”, she remarked.
There was also a call from The Hospitality and Tourism Association of Botswana (HATAB) for ground-level collaboration and the exchange of knowledge among local tourism businesses to boost tourism in Botswana.
Following unprecedented disruptions caused by COVID-19, the BTTE expo is envisaged to contribute towards the revival of domestic tourism as well as bolstering international travel and tourism to Botswana. The BTTE expo also provided a platform for the KAZA Secretariat to update stakeholders on recent KAZA tourism development and marketing initiatives. KAZA Secretariat Programme Manager, Netsai Bollmann highlighted the importance of tourism on KAZA’s development agenda, and presented the tourism marketing work being undertaken by the Partner States through the KAZA Secretariat in the landscape which includes the following:
- KAZA tourism marketing campaign – to market tourism destinations in KAZA, including providing exposure to lesser-known destinations in the region.
- KAZA tourism destination brand and corporate identity – to develop a tourism destination brand and corporate identity for the KAZA TFCA through a consultative process with the Partner States, private sector, and other tourism stakeholders.
- Tracks4Africa map of KAZA – development of a print and electronic Tracks4Africa map of KAZA to serve as a key marketing and navigation tool for traveling to the region.
- Kwando Linyanti Chobe River Code of Conduct– collaboratively developed by the governments of Botswana and Namibia to guide the sustainable use of shared waters between the two countries through addressing challenges related to, amongst other factors, water pollution, fisheries, tourism, river traffic management, and law enforcement.
- Learning Energy Efficiency Network – an initiative aimed at reducing the energy footprint in participating tourism establishments in Botswana and Namibia through improved energy efficiency.
- Great KAZA birding route – focused on promoting KAZA’s birding assets through the development and packaging of a birding route comprising access to information, birding sites, birder-friendly accommodation, capacity building of guides, and specialised guides for domestic, regional, and international birdwatchers.
