Find Tourism and Travel partners in Botswana
- Overview
- Investment
Overview
The travel and tourism sector in Botswana contributed BWP8,150.2m to the economy in 2011. The industry supported 45,000 jobs, including those supported indirectly, accounting for 7.6% of total employment (World Travel and Tourism Council – WTTC 2011). This placed it 124th in the world (out of 181 countries) in terms of the industry’s relative contribution to the economy, with a 6.5% share of GDP, compared to the world average of 14% (WTTC 20122). In 2010 the country saw 2,145,000 tourist arrivals. The largest source market of visitors is other African nations, dominated by Zimbabwe and South Africa. The overseas visitor market is predominantly from the UK and the United States. In 2011 visitor exports generated BWP6,496.1m, constituting 15.3% of total exports from the country. The government has reformed its tourism law as part of efforts to tighten control over the industry players. In 2010 this saw the country’s official tourism board change from the Botswana Tourism Board to the Botswana Tourism Organisation, which acts as a separate organisation, mostly independent from government duties. It markets the country, classifies travel accommodation facilities, including an eco-certification system, and promotes investment in the travel and tourism industry. The industry is overseen by the Ministry of Environment, Wildlife and Tourism. Workers within the sector are represented by the Hospitality and Tourism Association of Botswana.
Investment
The principal tourist attractions in Botswana are its game reserves, which offer a variety of different types of safari, including hunting and photographic safaris, and provide the primary source of revenue from tourism. Another major attraction is the Okavango Delta, which has numerous waterways, islands and lakes during the rainy season. The country offers diverse and striking landscapes (including the Kalahari Desert, the Chobe River and the Makgadikgadi pans). With 17% of the country defined as protected areas and a further 22% designated wildlife-management areas, the potential for safari and ecotourism is expansive. The country promotes sustainable ecotourism and places a high priority on protection of its game reserves and national parks, such as Central Kalahari Game Reserve, Chobe National Park and Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. There is a booming tourism sector in Maun and Kasane, while tour operators, mobile-safari companies, lodges and camps, tour-guiding and catering services are rapidly increasing and offer great potential for investment.
Investment in the travel and tourism industry in 2011 was BWP1,181m, constituting 6.3% of total investment. This was expected to rise by 6.1% in 2012, and then continue to grow by 4.6% pa over the following ten years, reaching BWP1,973.5m by 2022.