The TILB, which started licensing tourism facilities in 1998, has seen an impressive growth in terms of participation by citizen entrepreneurs. This year, licensing statistics reflect that 214 tourism establishments out of 527 operations are owned by Batswana and a further 136 establishments are jointly owned by citizens and foreign nationals.
According to statistics released by the department, in 1998, only 47 establishments were run by Batswana, while foreigners operated 81 with 74 being joint ventures. Of the 280 establishments in 1999, citizens only owned 84.
But since 2002, the number of Batswana venturing into the tourism sector has been increasing.
A Tourism Officer, Mopati Rammekwa said the number of citizens venturing into the sector, started to increase when the Financial Assistance Programme (FAP) grants were extended to tourism operations. She said after FAP was phased out, Batswana continued to invest in tourism after acquiring loans from the Citizen Entrepreneurial Development Agency (CEDA).
Rammekwa said most of the tourism businesses which are operated by citizens covered guest houses and mobile safaris. She added that the mobile safaris are concentrated in Maun and the Chobe area, while the guest houses are located in places like Gaborone. “There has been a steady increase of citizen owned guest houses in places like Gaborone, Maun and Kasane,” she said.
She said mobile safaris are lucrative investments especially in areas like Chobe. “But the business could only be lucrative as long as you try to be competitive,” said the tourism officer.
The other tourism ventures that Batswana have invested in, she said, include multi-purpose and photographic concessions.
Rammekwa said there are some community controlled hunting areas which are reserved for the communities. She said it was up to the communities whether they lease their concessions or enter into partnerships.
The tourism officer said her department has been playing a pivotal role in promoting Batswana ventures into the tourism sector. She said they also conduct regular workshops for people who are interested in investing in tourism. She added that even the tender guidelines, which they issue, encourage capacity building for citizens. “We have encouraged citizens to venture into the tourism business. We have a reservation policy for citizens. We are no longer going to approve applications from non-citizens for operations in the Chobe. We will only consider 100 percent citizen owned businesses. We shall also look into sectors, which we could reserve for citizens,” she said.
The official said they also encourage citizen operators to be competitive and professional in their operations. “But we believe they are competitive. Their business proposals seem to be at par with those of non-citizen operators. Some of the businesses owned by citizens meet international standards. We think they are doing well,” she said.
Rammekwa said tourism could provide a viable business opportunity, adding that the number of tourist arrivals has been increasing. Even domestic tourism, she said, has been growing.
“We have implemented the national eco-tourism strategy which advocates for diversification. Since 2002, we have more diversified products,” she said.
Regarding the obstacles that potential investors are faced with, she said some Batswana find it difficult to secure loans to establish their businesses. She said most of them said only CEDA seems to be willing to fund tourism ventures.
She added that some of the potential entrepreneurs lamented that the commercial banks were rejecting their loan application.
The tourism official said in some instances, establishing a tourism business could be capital intensive especially when investing in concession areas. But she said the returns could also be high. However, she said other tourism investments like mobile safaris, mekoro (boats), mobile safaris and camping sites are not so costly.
Rammekwa said some citizen entrepreneurs who are operating guest houses, are finding it difficult to access the market. But she was optimistic that the proposed implementation grading facilities would sort out this problem.
Some of the main objectives of the Department of Tourism is to promote citizen investment in the tourism industry and create tourism awareness among citizens. The department also aims at facilitating availability of quality tourism infrastructure, products and services. Another objective is to market the country as a prime tourist attraction.
