24 Nov 2020

North West District Council chairperson, Mr Kebareeditse Ntsogotlho, says the council is striving to transform Maun into a destination of choice. 

 He made the remarks during a ceremony to celebrate re-opening of tourism and sport organised by Great Plains Conservation in collaboration with Sankoyo Bush Bucks and other non-governmental organisations.

Mr Ntsogotlho acknowledged government efforts to allow direct chartered international flights to Ngamiland saying the tourism industry would eventually recover from the effects of COVID 19 pandemic.

He appreciated that tourism was the backbone of Maun and one of the main contributors to the country’s gross domestic product. 

The industry, he said, had contributed to the economy of Maun as most employment in the region was generated from eco-tourism linked to environmental and wildlife industries.

The chairperson said efforts were ongoing to transform the area into a tourism hub of choice because they wanted people to visit in large numbers to appreciate the beauty of the district.

In addition, he said Ngamiland had a lot to offer in terms of tourism products.

To attract tourists, Mr Ntsogotlho said it was imperative to keep the environment clean and thanked some organizations which came on board to promote and maintain a clean environment. 

Environmental protection, he said could only be realized through stakeholder involvement and commitment on issues of environmental management. 

Mr Ntsogotlho also challenged tourism operators to join forces with council to maintain clean environment. 

He acknowledged that some were doing their best to protect the delta.

Meanwhile, Maun Waste Warriors, Sankoyo Bush Bucks Football Club and Great Plains were some of the organizations that continue to promote environmental upkeep. 

The organizations, recently embarked on a clean-up campaign to maintain the cleanliness and beauty of Maun. 

For his part, tourism development officer from Botswana Tourism Organization (BTO), Mr Thatayaone Mmapatsi welcomed the re-opening of boarders as well as the move to allow chartered flights into Maun.

BTO and other stakeholders, he said had developed protocol procedures which would be used by all tourism operators across the country. 

He encouraged people to adhere to them to ensure smooth operations.

Mr Mmapatsi also appreciated that some countries were doing their best to find vaccination for COVID-19 but emphasized the need to always ensure 100 per cent adherence to safety precautions as securing vaccination might be a long journey.

He also thanked Great Plains for being the first safari company to receive international guests and ensuring their safety was placed first. Ends