22 Jun 2023

The Hospitality and Tourism Association of Botswana (HATAB) has embarked on customer service training for all sectors thaty will provide service during the upcoming US-Africa Business Summit scheduled for Royal Aria Conference Centre in Tlokweng from July 11 to 14.

HATAB Public Affairs and Communications Manager Ms Tebogo Ramakgathi told BOPA in an interview that the training incorporated all sectors from taxi associations, hotels, and ports of entry to ensure top-notch service delivery during the summit.

She said the summit marked a gateway to realising the envisaged strategy of the tourism and hospitality industry to launch Botswana as a Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) destination.

“Provision of excellent customer service is crucial in enriching brand recognition and attracting repeat business for Botswana. As such we are of the view that should we host a seamless summit, we will be able to see Gaborone growing, expanding to the likes of the northern part of Botswana in the MICE space,” she said

Therefore, Ms Ramakgathi said the US-Africa Business Summit came at a time when the tourism sector was making efforts to diversify the tourism product, explaining that focus had been on the Okavango Delta, Maun and Kasane area.

She reiterated that with recent MICEs held in Botswana, they realised that more players in the hospitality and tourism sector benefitted a lot, saying already most businesses in the tour operator sector were busy assembling packages to attract travellers.

“For the first time in a while the entire value chain will benefit, and this is crucial in resuscitating the sector from predicaments emanating from COVID-19.”

Ms Ramakgathi said they had witnessed quite a number of international bookings towards the event and most facilities met desired standards, hence their confidence in the hotel statuses as witnessed during their assessment tours.

The assessments focused on accommodation, service and readiness prominence. “This is the only significant component that will leave awe on delegates,” she said. She underlined that the summit presented an opportunity for Botswana to shine and urged service providers to work collectively in ensuring that they prioritised making the country a preferred destination of choice in the MICE industry. Ends