Botswana’s MICE potential in focus

Otlarongwa Kgweetsi | Monday March 3, 2025 09:52

In session: The Meetings Africa 25 conference featured experts discussing trends in travel and tourism as well as related topics such as exhibitions

At Meetings Africa 2025 held this week, discussions emphasised the importance of the Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions (MICE) industry in driving economic growth.

For Botswana, they said this presents an opportunity to diversify its tourism offerings beyond leisure and wildlife tourism, positioning itself as a competitive player in Africa’s business events landscape.

Botswana has the advantage of political stability, a strong conservation reputation, and a growing economy, all of which are attractive to international investors and event organisers.

However, business tourism requires targeted investment in infrastructure, connectivity, and policy improvements to make the country more accessible for international delegates.

The delegates at Meetings Africa 2025 highlighted that whilst Botswana has conference facilities in Gaborone, there is a need for expansion into secondary locations such as Francistown, Maun, and Kasane.

“Botswana has strong potential to be a key player in business tourism, but we need to invest in expanding our conference facilities beyond the capital city,” said Albertus Aochamub, Ambassador of Namibia to France, during a panel discussion.

Accessibility remains a challenge for Botswana’s MICE sector. International business travellers often face visa restrictions and limited direct flight connections.

Panellists stressed the need for African nations to streamline visa policies to encourage cross-border business travel. Simplified visa regulations and improved airline connectivity would enhance Botswana’s attractiveness as a business event destination.

“Business travellers do not want to go through complicated visa processes just to attend an event. If we want to compete, we must make it easier for people to come here,” said South Africa Tourism COO, Darryl Erasmus, during the discussions.

Learning from countries such as Rwanda and South Africa, which have implemented visa-on-arrival programmes and expanded direct flight routes, could help Botswana position itself as a more accessible MICE hub.

“Hybrid events are the future of business tourism. If Botswana does not modernise its approach, it will lose out to destinations that are embracing digital transformation,” said a technology expert at the conference.

Botswana has already demonstrated leadership in sustainable tourism within its wildlife sector, and these principles should be extended to the MICE industry.

“Event organisers are looking for destinations that align with their sustainability goals. Botswana has a great opportunity to position itself as an eco-friendly business tourism destination,” said Lee-Anne Bac, strategic developer at BDO South Africa.

Whilst countries such as South Africa and Kenya have successfully positioned themselves as MICE destinations, Botswana has the potential to follow suit by making strategic investments in infrastructure, digital transformation, and policy reforms.

“The future of business tourism in Botswana depends on the decisions we make today. We must act now to ensure we are part of Africa’s growing business events sector,” said one participant.