Botswana will, on September 30, celebrate 50-years of independence in a grand event that has been awarded P100 million. The festivities have enticed many international visitors but small tourism operations may miss out a huge opportunity. Last year, The Lonely Planet, which toured the world to compile its annual travellers guide, declared Botswana the best country to visit in 2016 citing the 50-years of stable democracy as one of the reasons for being a unique destination. Lonely Planet is a leader in travel research who annually publishes a travel yearbook detailing best trends, top 10 destinations and travel experiences of the year ahead.
Matt Phillips, Lonely Planet destination editor of Sub Saharan Africa, told Mmegi earlier this year that page views of Botswana-related content on lonelyplanet.com were up 115% in the months following the launch of Best in Travel 2016. The announcement was made last October. Phillips explained via e-mail that since nomination, Botswana has been the most viewed single destination, the best in travel 2016 hub on lonelyplanet.com. He added that the hero video, which included footage of Botswana, is among Lonely Planet’s top 10 best performing videos of all time on YouTube.
