23 Sep 2013

Availability of clean and reliable water supply is vital for the tourism industry, says the member of parliament for Kgalagadi North.

Officiating at the commemoration of the World Tourism Day in Phuduhudu, over the weekend, Mr Phillip Khwae said it is important to have a reliable water supply in hotels and other hospitality facilities, particularly in game reserves and national parks. Mr Khwae said it causes concern to note that many campsites are neither fully furnished nor have reliable supply of water; the situation that is bad for Botswana’s tourism sector.

He however challenged role players in the hotel and tourism industry to implement tight water-saving measures.

“It is the responsibility of the tourism sector to take a leadership role and ensure companies and destinations invest in adequate water management throughout the value chain,” he said. He indicated that tourism can bring benefits to the national and local communities hence the need to support water-preservation measures in tourism destinations to enhance their sustainability and life span.

Mr Khwae also encouraged all those involved in the tourism sector to join the global world tourism day campaign and continue to devise innovative solutions to ensure sustainable access to water resources worldwide. He said tourists should, where possible, select accommodation facilities that have water-saving programmes such as harvesting rain water.
He explained that the World Tourism Day is a unique opportunity to examine the challenges facing water management in tourism and the measures being undertaken by the sector to protect and promote water resources while creating benefits for local populations around water tourism destinations. Mr Khwae said in encouraging greater citizen involvement in the tourism industry, the tourism industry should take cognisance of the fact that without the transfer of some of the benefits from tourism to local communities through the creation of jobs, entrepreneurial opportunities and social benefits, host communities may not see the value of tourism.

Because the Kgalagadi District has the potential in tourism, he said, there is need to encourage local communities to venture into tourism businesses such as lodges given that there is shortage of accommodation in the district to meet  accommodation needs of tourists who use the Trans Kalahari Highway. ENDS