26 Oct 2022

Ecotourism Botswana has been allocated land between Elephant Heaves and Xuoxauo and Morutshi settlements for the construction of a ecotourism park.

Ecotourism Botswana chief executive officer, Mr Jacob Mathapa said the ground breaking ceremony would be held early next year.

He said they raised over P300 million for the project and that they would utilise local material for construction of their facilities as they were promoting environmentally friendly structures.

The ecotourism park, he said, would have a convention centre, a hotel with 50 chalets, health and recreational facilities and a community centre.

He said they aim to provide a one-stop centre for tourists before they proceeded to the world famous Okavango Delta. He also said there would be curio shops.

Ecotourism Botswana is a civil society organisation that facilitates and empowers rural communities to manage and utilise wildlife and other natural resources sustainably.

Mr Mathapa said the aim of the project was to promote conservation, empower communities and to ensure sustainable development. He added that the project would also minimise the impact of tourism on the environment.

Through the park, he said, they were trying to bring the delta closer to tourists and communities. He also said they hoped tourists would be motivated to spend some days in Maun and to access the delta by road instead of flying.

He said they wanted the community to be involved in the construction of the ecotourism park as it was intended to show the impact of human beings on the environment and to foster a greater appreciation of the environment.

Mr Mathapa said the ultimate goal was to make Maun more appealing to tourists so that they could stay more days in the town enjoying a variety of tourism products before going to the delta. ENDs