05 Oct 2020

The tourism industry is said to be gradually recovering from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, thanks to domestic tourists. Travel and tourism were among the most affected, as airplanes were grounded, hospitality facilities closed and travel restrictions imposed around the world.

Following months of closure of tourism facilities across the country, and with people still hesitant to travel for leisure, some campsites recently started experiencing an increase in visitors from all corners of the country. One such campsite is the Hippo Island Okavango Delta Safari, an undiscovered wilderness retreat, which lies within the dusty and tiny village of Nxaraga, some 20km from Maun. Since the easing of movement locally, the facility has reportedly been witnessing a boost in domestic tourism.

In an interview with BOPA, the campsite manager, Mr Botsalo Dibongo said they had started receiving bookings from locals every week.

To attract customers,he said, they revised their packages and currently charge P350 per person, without meals, as opposed to the P1000 for locals and P2000 for international clients respectively.

Initially, he said they thrived through international clientele, but since the pandemic, things had changed as locals had started travelling within their country. 

Mr Dibongo confirmed that domestic tourism was picking up as more citizens had decided to visit attractive destinations that are closer to them. 

“Since the pandemic, we are overwhelmed by the support from our locals.  Our facility is always fully booked, especially during weekends and public holidays,” he added.

Hippo pool campsite comprises of thirteen rooms, ablution blocks with flush toilets, showers, power points and braai areas, offering such leisure activities as fishing, boat cruising, horse riding, game drives, walks, canoeing excursions and swimming; among others.

Mr Dibongo described the facility, which opened its doors 10 years ago, as a hidden paradise giving visitors an opportunity to experience the real taste of the wildlife and amazing sun set views, while at the same time watching abundant birdlife, a troop of elephants and hippos cooling themselves in the hippo pool within the river.

Mr Dibongo explained that he started with eight tented rooms and a game drive vehicle through Youth Development Fund funding in 2009, adding that the business had been doing well since its establishment.

Along the way, Mr Dibongo partnered with his elder brother, who was assisted through the then Kgalagadi Breweries Limited (KBL) Kickstart initiative, which funded youth aged between 18 and 30 years and injected P190 000 to expand the project to include five more tented rooms. 

Mr Dibongo revealed that plans were underway to improve the image of the facility, by installing some decks to make the rooms more appealing, while maintaining the natural environment.

The facility, he said would offer a self-camping option at an affordable price of P200. 

The youthful manager was optimistic that the tourism industry would fully recover as some countries had started lifting the international travel ban. ends