28 Jul 2020

In an effort to empower Batswana in the tourism sector, government has reserved some businesses such as  commercial and domestic guesthouses, tourist transfers, mobile safaris, boat cruise and mekoro in Tuli Block area for citizens.  

This was revealed by Minister of Environment, Natural Resources Conservation and Tourism, Ms Philda Kereng when answering a question in Parliament on July 27. 

Furthermore, she said her ministry had revised and launched agro-tourism guidelines with a view to empower citizens to venture into the tourism industry.

She said the ministry would also facilitate allocation of dam sites in the region to citizens and citizen consortia.

So far, she said, there were two citizen-owned and 12 joint venture tourism businesses in the Northern Tuli area.

Ms Kereng said awareness campaigns on opportunities for tourism were also carried by district tourism offices covering the area through Kgotla meetings and exhibitions among others. She also said the recently launched CEDA guidelines would go a long way in facilitating citizens to venture into tourism.

With regards to an average received total arrivals in Tuli Block Area, Minister Kereng said 1.4 per cent of tourists were recorded with each tourist spending at least P711 per day on an average length of stay of 6.75 nights. Therefore, she said the estimated tourists receipts in the Tuli area since 2014 to 2018 ranged over P1million.

She said the estimated employment in the area was 459 in 2014, 378 in 2015, 351 in 2016, 297 in 2017 and 270 in 2018.

She was answering Bobonong MP, Mr Taolo Lucas, who had wanted to know the contribution of the Northern Tuli Tourism Area to tourism revenues each year from 2014 to 2018.

Mr Lucas also wanted the minister to state the number of jobs created each year from 2014 to 2018 and the number of Batswana who owned the tourism businesses in the Northern Tuli Tourism Area.

He had also asked if there were any efforts by government to empower Batswana to do business in the Northern Tuli Tourism Area. ends