… As Botswana counts gains of three-year hosting
In 2022, the Botswanan governemnt signed a Memorandum of Agreement with the African Tourism Partners (ATP), for convening the African Tourism Leadership Forum (ATLF), over a period of three years.
Since then, the ATLF, a platform for solution-based engagements and exchanges for the development of the African tourism industry, has successfully held, while hugely impacting Botswana as a country, its tourism, private sector participants, destinations and businesses across the continent.
This year, Botswana successfully concluded the three-year hosting right for the ATLF, with over 600 participants from 43 countries, who graced the premium tourism event at the Gaborone International Convention Centre, the host venue for the three years of the forum in Botswana.
However, Botswana is counting gains of hosting the ATLF.
In his keynote address at the 7th edition of the forum, which is his country’s last, Slumber Tsogwane, vice president, Republic of Botswana, was excited with the increased number of participants year-on-year for the three years, which he noted has resulted in sustained growth of the Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibition (MICE) sector.
“I am informed that 43 countries and over 600 participants from Africa and the rest of the world are part of this event. I must commend the Botswana Tourism Organisation for hosting such a successful regional tourism forum with partners. Events such as this one provide a diversity of spin-offs for several sectors embracing the hotel and hospitality industry, retail, and transport, among others,” the vice
president said.
Tsogwane, who spoke in the capacity of the acting president at the forum, expressed joy that Botswana is on an overdrive mode to establish itself as a destination of choice for hosting MICE as a part of its intentional economic diversification drive.
“Tourism in Botswana is a major contributor to the national economy and has tremendous potential to grow. It is for this reason that Botswana Government has reviewed its Tourism Policy and also developed the National Tourism Strategy and Master Plan to provide relevant frameworks for developing the sector,” Tsogwane explained.
Toeing the same line with her vice president, Wilhemina Makwinja, acting minister of Environment and Tourism, Botswana, emphasized the resilience of the country’s tourism industry, despite challenges, particularly the death of Dumezweni Meshack Mthimkhulu, Minister of Environment and Tourism, on Monday; two days to the opening of the 2024 ATLF.
Read also: ATLF 2024: Empowering African tourism, unleashing opportunities
The acting minister, who disclosed the huge impacts the late minister made within his short period in the ministry, described his death as a huge loss to Botswana Tourism and also promised that his work would be carried forward.
As expected, the global tourism community at the forum led by the UN Tourism, also mourned the late minister, observing minute of silence at the opening and before major precedings.
Away from the gains that Botswana is counting for hosting the forum, this year’s theme, ‘Charting a new path forward for intra-Africa travel, tourism, and investment’, provided a fertile ground for robust discussions, charged deliberations on the challenges and solutions, B2B engagements for industry players and government to private engagements, all geared towards removing barriers, boosting intra-Africa travel, growing tourism arrivals and investments in the industry.
The above towering ambitions were captured in the message of Zurab Pololikashvili, secretary-general, United Nations Tourism, at the forum, which was delivered via video.
Emphasising the importance of intra-Africa travel for the growth of tourism industry on the continent, Pololikashvili commended Africa’s leadership in shaping its own tourism future through forums such as the ATLF.
“This forum is a great example of Africa shaping its own tourism future. Such clear and focused leadership has underscored the region’s resilience. You have worked to boost connectivity and regional integration, encouraging intra-African travel and strengthening cooperation,” Pololikashvili said.
The UN Tourism chief also highlighted the positive trajectory of international arrivals to Africa, which have increased by 5 percent compared to pre-pandemic levels, with expectations of continued growth.
He emphasized the critical role that culture and creative industries play in driving sustainable growth, supporting livelihoods, and enhancing Africa’s image as a competitive and attractive destination on the global stage.
Speaking on the rationale for boosting intra-African travel in line with the theme, Wamkele Menethe, secretary general, African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), noted that getting people to travel around the continent has multiplier benefits because when people travel around, they spend money, which filters down to the local people.
While a more integrated market will benefit African economies, Menethe regretted that many African travellers have ignored the domestic market for too long, amid fight for visa and connectivity issues.
Collaborations between governments, private sector and the AfCTA are among the reasons Menethe graced the forum, seeking more workable approaches to address the challenges.
“The African Union has the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM). And under that programme, there is actually a secretariat that is working towards ensuring that we implement the Yamasuko Agreement, where countries have agreed to liberalize even their traffic rights in such a way that you can actually be able to have more transport or more connectivities and picking passengers within countries,” AfCTA Secretariat said.
The secretariat also disclosed other efforts and partnerships such as with African Tourism Partners in ATLF 2024, to sustain conversations on how flights can be increased and cheaper for more connectivity, free or easy visas, among facilitators of robust intra-Africa travels.
For Emily Mburu-Ndoria, a director at the AfCFTA, the forum is timely as tourism is an economic pillar that requires committment from governments and the private sector on the continent to address the challenges impeding its growth.
She invited the private sector to collaborate more with the AfCFTA on some initiatives that are aimed at boosting tourism growth on the continent.
As well, Elcia Grandcourt, Regional Director for Africa, UN Tourism, underscored the need for strategic investments in intra-Africa travel and tourism.
She praised the resilience and innovation of Botswana’s tourism sector, noting its significant contributions to the nation’s socio-economic development. “Botswana stands out as a shining example of resilience and innovation within the tourism sector. By diversifying its tourism offerings and exploring new markets, Botswana has not only adapted to emerging challenges but also expanded its reach,” Grandcourt said.
Referencing the latest UNWTO Barometer, Grandcourt highlighted the growth in international tourist arrivals to Africa as a proof of the continent’s expanding visibility and attractiveness within the global tourism marketplace.
Mark Okraku Mantey, deputy minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Ghana, noted that intra-Africa travel can only work when the people of Africa look inwards to domestic destinations rather than the quest for foreign destinations, which results in African travellers enriching foreign destinations, especially during summer.
He is also of the view that governments across Africa have major roles to play in boosting intra-Africa travel, starting with reducing taxes on flights and making visa easy for all African people.
Excited at pulling off another successfully edition, Kwakye Donkor, CEO, African Tourism Partners, the organisers, underscored the critical need for more open borders by removing restrictions that impede intra-Africa travel, more exchanges among the people and more fruitful collaborations between governments and the private sector to ensure win-win in policy formulations that would boost tourism on the continent.
“The pandemic taught us that charity must begin at home, in the sense that when covid came, we realized that without building our own capabilities in our own backyard for tourism, growth and development, we are not going to go anywhere in the future,” Donkor highlighted.
“A good example is what is happening now with the Mbox. The narratives get twisted and it is all negativity about Africa. So, platforms like AfCTA and ATLF are for us to change this. This is the seventh edition we started from Ghana to Durban, Rwanda, and Rwanda again, and we have been in Botswana for the past three years, and a lot of strides have been made”.
Speaking on the achievements so far in the seven years the ATLF has held, Donkor said, “A typical one is what I will call the Africa Tourism Chamber, that is a Pan-African body called Africa Tourism Private Sector Alliance, that is actually going to take the issues that are discussed here and keep advocating for those issues and those barriers to be removed.
“We have more than 600 industry professionals that have been connected across the continent, with over 250 of them being trade professionals; tour operators, travel agencies, and even media. All those who have been coming over the years, for the past three years, have been building networks and connections,” Donkor explained.
He did not forget to thank the government and people of Botswana for the great hosting for the three consecutive years the forum held in the country.
He expressed confidence that Botswana Tourism Organisation will take advantage of the hosting to further grow its tourist arrivals, boost MICE sector and woo more investments in the tourism industry.
But the huge focus on youth with tailor-made panels of discussion handled by experts, attested to ATLF’s efforts at securing the future of the tourism industry in Africa.
The forum also witnessed other panels of discussion, speed dating, practical sessions, exhibition, among others.
Some of the panelists included; Aaron Munetsi, CEO, Airlines Association of Southern Africa, who spoke on how reducing taxes on flights and open borders will boost intra-Africa travel.
He also decried that governments in Africa are not doing enough to ensure open skies, especially with the Yamasuko Agreement still in limbo after decades of signing the agreement.
Others include; Elcia Grandcourt; Beatrice Chaytor; head of Division of Trade in Services, Investment, Intellectual Property Rights and Digital of AfCFTA Secretariat; Joe Motse, chairperson, Hospitality and Tourism Association of Botswana, among others.
The forum also witnessed a cultural evening and an award night where deserving stakeholders in the African tourism industry were honoured.
As tourism stakeholders look forward to the 2025 ATLF and a new venue, Botswana appreciates every participant that graced the event in the last three years.
The country concluded the event hosting with an invitation from the vice president.
“I invite you to make time to visit Botswana’s beautiful attractions within
the greater Gaborone area, further out to the Okavango, which is the second largest inland delta in the world.
“Visit the mighty Chobe National Park with the largest Savanna Elephant population densities in the world; and not forgetting the endless and flat wetlands of the Makgakgadi Salt Pans, where migration leads to congregation; as well as the Tuli Block, – Land of the giants and magnificent landscapes; so forth and so on.
“Finally, I trust you will have a chance to taste our beef, which is compared to none in the world, experience our cultural diversity and buy our crafts to take your Botswana memories back home,” the vice president urged.
As expected, the forum concluded with awards given to deserving personalities, businesses and government agencies across different categories for their huge impacts on the continent’s tourism industry.
Some of the awardees include; Rwanda Development Board in the Progress Policies category, Taubie Motlhabane of Cape Town Convention Centre won the Women in Leadership award, CNBC Africa, South Africa won the Oustanding Media & Marketing award, Qorokwe Camp Botswana emerged winner of Championing Sustainability award, Cape Town International Convention Centre won the Business Tourism Destination award, while the Outstanding Tourism Transportation award went to Ethiopian Airlines, among others including winner of Africa Youth in Tourism Innovation Summit 2024.
The biggest award went to Rodger Foster, CEO and managing director, Airlink, South Africa, who clinched the ATLF 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award.
