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Will the new Tourism Policy finally empower Batswana?

High end: The Delta is the country’s premier tourist destination but largely inaccessible to citizen entrepreneurs PIC: THALEFANG CHARLES
High end: The Delta is the country’s premier tourist destination but largely inaccessible to citizen entrepreneurs PIC: THALEFANG CHARLES

After 13 years of planning, the new Tourism Policy was recently unveiled, spelling out various ways to further develop the industry. One question, however, is whether the new plan will finally give citizens a bigger piece of the multi-billion pula industry? Staff Writer, MBONGENI MGUNI reports

According to the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), which produces the world’s most authoritative reports on value in the tourism sector, Botswana’s travel and tourism sector contributed about P19 billion to the overall economy in 2019, while employing about 71,000 workers.

COVID-19 and its impact on travel, borders and arrivals, shrank this contribution down to P9.6 billion last year, with about 53,000 jobs.

Editor's Comment
Human rights are sacred

It highlights the need to protect rights such as access to clean water, education, healthcare and freedom of expression.President Duma Boko, rightly honours past interventions from securing a dignified burial for Gaoberekwe Pitseng in the CKGR to promoting linguistic inclusion. Yet, they also expose a critical truth, that a nation cannot sustainably protect its people through ad hoc acts of compassion alone.It is time for both government and the...

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