15 Mar 2016

The Nata Conservation Trust and Gain-o-ng Community Trust were granted P77 000 and P82 000 respectively from the proceeds of the Makgadikgadi Epic and the Race for the Rhino in Lekhubu Islands in 2015.

The Minister of Environment, Wildlife and Tourism, Mr Tshekedi Khama said  an economic survey report was undertaken for the EPIC 2015 and estimated the total revenue earned for the event at P3 million. 

He added that an economic survey was not undertaken for the Race for the Rhino as it was the inaugural event, but assured Parliament that it would be taken in the second year of the event.

The minister listed the expenses and benefits distributions for 2015 as follows: P2 million for the Makgadikgadi Epic in Nata and P2.1 million for the Race for the Rhino in Lekhubu Island.

The minister said the Nata Conservation Trust and the Gain-o-ng Community Trust were involved in all the stages of the events through Botswana Tourism Organisation (BTO) facilitation.

“The trusts worked with local authorities and village leaderships to provide personnel, service vehicles and other service delivery,” he said.

Minister Khama noted that the Race for the Rhino engaged local service providers for hospitality, security, sewerage provision and portable ablutions, air traffic control and marketing collateral amongst others. 

As for the Makgadikgadi event, the minister said local service providers were engaged for complementary activities such as horse-riding, bicycle hire and guided game drives. Other services provided locally included helicopter flips, transportation and emergency medical services and evacuation amongst others. 

He explained that BTO undertakes all marketing and public relations internally while local outsourced service providers were engaged in the production of the weather sting, design of marketing collateral and printing.

Social media, he added, which primarily engages the youth, was utilised to great success to market both events. 

The minister said BTO encourages the youth to offer services in complementary activities (nitro cars, horse riding and entertainment) and social media engagements to ensure high delivery standards. 

Boteti East MP, Mr Sethomo Lelatisitswe had asked the minister  to state the amount government spent in the last preparations of the Makgadikgadi Epic in Lekhubu Island and Nata Sanctuary and how the two trusts in Mmatshumo and Nata were engaged in the preparations. He also wanted to know how much was planted back in monetary terms to the concerned community trusts, and how many local companies took part in the event as compared to the previous years.

He further asked if any youth companies in the concerned communities were involved in marketing and preparations of the event, and if the minister would consider youth companies in the area in the build-up of the next Makgadikgadi Epic to encourage tourism in the area. Ends