15 Apr 2019

Botswana Tourism Organisation (BTO) chief executive officer (CEO), Ms Myra Sekgororoane, is upbeat that the talks her organisation held with Qatar government and investors has potential to diversify the tourism sector away from the traditional flora and fauna that Botswana is renowned for.

The organisation’s officials had been in Qatar as part of the business forum involving parastatals and private sector companies from Botswana and Qatar.

The meeting also paved way for a historic two-day state visit by President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi at the invitation of Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani, Emir of the state of Qatar.

Ms Sekgororoane said in an interview that BTO area of focus was on investment promotion to entice potential investors who could grow the sector in Botswana.

“We are particularly looking at diversifying the sector itself. We are well-known for our flora and fauna that is centered in specific geographic areas and we are looking at diversifying to other areas and further come up with other products such as heritage to sell and package over and above the wilderness and wildlife,” she said.

She said BTO hada positive engagements with their Qatari counterparts and that there was definitely going to be follow-ups and subsequent invitation extended to the Qataris to visit Botswana to appreciate the country’s product.

Furthermore, Ms Sekgororoane relayed that her organisation would also like to have the Qataris come in and facilitate capacity building and skills training for cultural villages in Botswana so that they  could be of up-market standard.

Botswana Tourism Organisation, she stated, would also like to learn best practices from their Qataris counterparts who harnessed their desert to grow the tourism sector.

She said also the trip to Qatar had assisted BTO to push its mandate to market Botswana tourism especially in a region that was not yet its big market.

“We hope to link up with them so that we can have a win-win situation,” she said. ENDS