26 Sep 2022

Lodge owners have been urged to collaborate with big tourism companies, Assistant Minister of Trade and Industry, Ms Beauty Manake, said this during her recent tour of Makumutu Lodge, few kilometers from Orapa.

She said big establishments were looking for partnerships whereby they could ran the business with the owner, without dispossessing the owner of their assets, an arrangement that could attract high end customers.

She said they could even build an airstrip to enable easy movement of tourists from areas like Khumaga to Makumutu.

Ms Manake said with the Economic Inclusion Act, partnerships would allow more Batswana to participate.

She encouraged operators to train guides on star gazing as it had tourism potential in areas around pans.

Ms Manake also implored Makumutu lodge operators, to register with Botswana Investment and Trade Centre as well as Brand Botswana for purposes of export development and profiling of their business.

Makumutu Lodge managing director, Mr Basireletsi Loeto, explained that some customers were not comfortable with chalets and preferred rooms with television sets and therefore to ensure customer retention, they realised the need to cater for all customers hence required funding to develop.Mr Loeto stated that small businesses failed to meet and address their needs.

Local Enterprise Authority chief executive officer, Dr Racious Moatshe said collaboration was encouraging and that it was evident Batswana had the capacity and capability to penetrate the market adding that even small businesses had an impact. ENDS