Africa-Press – Botswana. Plans are underway to develop prime tourism attractions in Gaborone to make it more vibrant and attractive, says Assistant Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Mr Sethabelo Modukanele.
Mr Modukanele, who was responding to a question on behalf of Minister of Environment and Tourism, informed Parliament that the actualisation of the plan would be attained through implementation of the ministry initiatives encapsulated in the recently developed national tourism strategy and master plan for 2023-2033.
He said the strategic framework provided a short-term recovery plan and medium-term road map for the sustainable development of tourism in Botswana over the next 10 years. He added that greater Gaborone has been designated as one of the tourism development areas in the plan.
The move, he said, would position the city in the global space as the ministry was aware that major cities around the world had defining landmarks and events. He said the ministry intended to follow the global trend.
Mr Modukanele said Gaborone was endowed with landmarks that were promoted and packaged by tour operators for visitation by both domestic and international tourists. Such landmarks, he said, included the Three Chiefs Monument, Botswana Parliament and National Museum amongst others.
He also said the Ministry of Environment and Tourism had plans to partner with the private sector to launch a campaign which would brand Gaborone as a city of choice to visit and do business.
The primary goal and motivation for the city branding project, he said, was targeted at the development of a strong city brand which focused on culture, heritage, history and lifestyle.
He highlighted that the ministry would benchmark on existing city brands for best practices and create a simple, impactful and memorable city logo, set metrics to measure success and the effectiveness of the branding exercise so that Gaborone would be considered amongst top travel cities globally.
Mr Modukanele also noted that government, through the Department of National Museum and Monuments, had curators who managed historic and heritage sites.
He added that visitations to the sites were packaged and marketed by tour operators, and that they sold packages and charged an average of P1 200 per person for a full package tour which included several sites in the city.
He said the tourism ministry continued to facilitate the private sector for more inclusiveness as valued players in the tourism sector as well as a plan to involve them in managing of the sites in the near future.
Gaborone North MP, Mr Mpho Balopi had asked if there were any plans to develop prime tourism attractions in Gaborone to make the city more vibrant and attractive.
He also wanted to know if government would not consider partnering with the private sector to create a major shift that could yield a turnaround for tourism in Gaborone.
He further asked whether there were any tourist sites currently run and marketed by government or its agencies, and the monetary value they contributed to the country’s economy.
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