19 Nov 2018

Founder of local travel agency, Gabs Experience, says his company exist to promote Gaborone as a preferred tourist destination of choice.

Speaking in an interview, Mr Nnyaladzi Monyamane revealed that the travel agency was born out of the idea that people who visited Gaborone did not normally know where to eat or where to hang out and have fun.

He said the Gabs Experience offered tourists and citizens educational tours through Gaborone, visiting historical sites and monuments such as the three Dikgosi monuments at CBD, the museum and other spots where they could relax such as local braai places and night clubs.

“We have tapped into the Mozambiquean market and formed a partnership with one travelling agency from Mozambique. The main purpose of the partnership is to create a fun-filled and adventurous tour for citizens of the two countries, to appreciate the beauty of our cities with the view to strengthen cultural relations between the two countries as well,” he said.

He said Botswana was well known for its wildlife and nature preserves such as the Chobe National Park and the Okavango Delta as shown by the growing number of tourists who visited the country. 

Because of that, he said Botswana ought to exploit the opportunity and target tourists who visited the country while in transit to the famous destinations. “That is where the Gabs Experience comes in. Our visitors are treated to local chill spots for a braai experience before exploring the city throughout the day, and then at night, the tourists get to have a glimpse of Gaborone’s night life at some of the city’s popular night clubs,” Mr Monyamane added.

The Gabs Experience boasts of affordable packages ranging as low as P150 to allow even an ordinary Motswana a chance to experience Gaborone. 

The packages range from family fun days to get families and friends together, to team building activities for companies.

Families and tourists are taken for a hike up Kgale Hill, which has a summit elevation of 1 287 metres above sea level, to catch the first rays of the sun. From there, they are taken for lion viewing and engagement in fun activities at Lion Park, enjoying a fresh aroma of braai and listening to music before being whisked away to Mmokolodi Nature Reserve for a game drive and a bush braai to complete the day.

Mr Monyamane also pointed that they also had packages which were specifically tailored to promote other tourism establishments which were outside Gaborone such as Goo-Moremi Gorge, so that tourists could get a wider experience of Botswana tourism.

The Gabs Experience, though self-funded, aspires to expand in the near future. The company wishes to develop an online booking system so that the external market could easily identify them on digital platforms. Mr Monyamane indicated his company’s vision to affiliate with Brand Botswana to use the Botswana Pride Mark to attract international audiences.

He further revealed that the Gabs Experience continued to impress as shown by the positive feedback they received, citing the educational value offered to tourists who keep coming back for more. 

The Travel Agency has been recognised by the African Union Commission (AU) for its contribution towards the development of entrepreneurship in Africa and has been invited to the “Expert Group Meeting on Enterprise Africa Network, on the margins of Africa Industrialisation Week taking place from 19 to 23 November in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. ENDS