11 Jun 2017

In a bid to introduce the public to the idea of travelling and tourism and create a platform for local tourism segments to market their products and services, Travel Expo company, hosted its first ever travel exposition.

In an interview, the event organiser, Mr Christopher Jackson expressed concern over a small number of local people who take advantage of tourism facilities in Botswana.

He said many foreigners use Botswana’s tourism facilities, hence the hosting of the show to encourage Batswana to partake in tourism activities and bridge the gap.

The expo did not only benefit exhibitors, but it also served as a platform for the general public to gain knowledge about the services offered by the tourism segments, which included travel packages, which is hoped would promote and inspire the public to travel.

“One would be amazed by how many Batswana do not know any other tourist sites in the country besides the Chobe and Okavango,” he said.

Mr Jackson further revealed that the expo aimed to introduce people not only to other venues, locations or hotels, but also gave them ideas on how best to make their dream trips come true with just the right knowledge and contacts.

For her part, director of Travel Wise Agency, Ms Margaret McDonald said she was pleased with the show as it gave them exposure and the opportunity to showcase what they had to offer to the public as an agency.

“This is a good forum for us to network with other exhibitors in the industry as we all work hand in hand and can help promote one another,” she said.

Ms McDonald stated that the expo would help them gain more clients and reach out to the public at large.

A sales director of Senthaga Guest House and Safaris, Ms Njale Setlhodi applauded the travel expo for the initiative, saying it provided a wonderful opportunity for them to showcase their travelling and accommodation packages to Batswana.

She stated that Batswana lacked knowledge about travelling and the show would benefit them.

She was also hopeful that they would visit the Safaris and get to enjoy the beauty of Botswana.

The two-day expo, dubbed Travel & Holiday Gateway Show, attracted travel and holiday services providers such as Ethiopian Airways, Harvey World, Travel House, Travel Wise Agency, Destination experts and Safaris, who set up stalls for the public to visit and see how best they could take advantage of travel and holiday packages. ENDS