Tsogwane calls for efficiency in MICE strategy
Larona Makhaiza | Tuesday October 10, 2023 06:00
Speaking at the Africa Tourism Leadership Forum (ATLF), where Botswana hosted the event for the second consecutive year from last week Wednesday till Friday, he acknowledged the progress made but stressed the need for swift action on the MICE strategy.
Despite being recognised as a prime destination for conferences, Tsogwane insisted that more efforts are required for the country to fully capitalise on its strategy.
"I derive immense pleasure over the fact that for the second consecutive year, fellow Africans from various shores from our beautiful continent are convening in Botswana once again which serves well for our MICE strategy that we have in place," the Vice President said. While highlighting successes in meetings, conferences, and exhibitions, including hosting three international events this year alone, Tsogwane pinpointed the incentive aspect of the MICE strategy as an area that needs further development.
The three events are the 73rd Session of the World Health Organisation Regional Committee for Africa, the US-Africa Business Summit, and the Forbes Under-30 Summit. "The revised policy of tourism 2021 places some emphasis on meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions as a strategy for tourism product diversification to position Botswana as a mice destination to host these. However, the incentive aspect of the MICE is one somewhat lagging part, and we need to do more to develop it," he bemoaned.
Encouraging his team to focus on airlines and media to activate the 'incentives' aspect, Tsogwane announced plans to officially launch the MICE strategy later this year. He invited global investors to engage and collaborate with Botswana in developing conferencing facilities. Tsogwane concluded by expressing his hope that the ATLF would be more than just a dialogue platform, urging it to demonstrate Africa's genuine commitment to shaping its destiny through intra-Africa travel.