Botswana goes all out in Germany
Thuso Palai | Thursday March 16, 2017 15:27
This was a major coup as being a partner country comes with so many perks and platforms to be in people’s faces. Everything ITB Berlin was branded with the partner country’s identity, meaning that anyone and everyone who interacted with ITB Berlin2017 was somehow exposed to the identity of the partner country. For a country that is relatively unknown, this was a major scoop.
BTO roped in other partners - the Ministry of Youth, Sport and Culture, The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation through the Botswana Mission in Germany, De Beers, Botswana Investment and Trade Centre, Brand Botswana and HATAB to take a wholesome Botswana experience to the world through the ITB-Berlin.
Also part of the Botswana team was travel and tours companies as well as hospitality providers. This was indeed a joint effort to promote everything Botswana – our tourism offer, our investment offering, our culture and heritage, our cuisine, our traditional song and dance, our history and the Botswana diamond story.
ITB-Berlin is the world’s biggest travel and trade show and attracts multitudes of exhibitors, buyers, visitors, international media and trade visitors, hence this was a great platform for Botswana to put its best foot forward.
Driving around Berlin, one got a sense of nostalgia as the #ILoveBotswana branding popped up everywhere. Random city buses, trains, walls, street poles were clad in #ILoveBotswana messaging.
Even on televisions in the Metro, there was Botswana promotional videos playing there. This was indeed a great effort to get people to know about Botswana. The official opening ceremony was a showstopper and will for a long time be remembered by those who attended the event.
The over 3,500 international guests and media who attended the official opening ceremony were treated to a taste of Botswana, through song and dance. A Botswana story was told through song and dance.
President Ian Khama opened the ceremony, asking all those who attended to consider Botswana as a place to visit, and consider for opportunities. Guests who attended the show from the different countries got to know and experience Botswana as they were told the Botswana story through song and dance.
The #ILoveBotswana ensemble, ably led by Andrew Letso Kola of Mophato Dance Theatre got multiple standing ovations for their performance. Everyone was left asking for more.
No one left the room throughout the over two hours energetic performance. It was magical. The narrator repeatedly cried out ‘Botswana. Our Pride, Your Destination’. All the time emphasising that Botswana is a great place.
The dinner was all Botswana, with phaleche, madombi, seswaa, phane, mogatla, bogobe jwa lerotse, morogo wa dinawa on the menu. This was a great way to end the night that will forever be remembered by many. It was indeed a wholesome Botswana package – from the hospitality, the music, the song and dance, the food - and many got to interact with and appreciate what Botswana is.
Germany is a country that Botswana is looking at for holidaymakers and investment. Germans travel a lot and are always looking for new places to visit, hence the need to promote Botswana tourism there.
Through BITC, Botswana is also actively looking at Germany for FDI, especially to invest in the automotive sector, hence the need to create awareness about Botswana.
In Europe, Germany is the second biggest FDI spender, hence the need to inform them about Botswana and attract them to invest in Botswana.
This was indeed a worthwhile undertaking and will go a long way in creating awareness about Botswana, and what Botswana has on offer.
*Thuso Palai is Manager, Brand Management International at Botswana Investment and Trade Centre and was part of the #ILoveBotswana team at the ITB-Berlin2017