Africa-Press – Botswana. President Advocate Duma Boko has acceded to the request for the revival of the Tourism Pitso, emphasising the forum’s crucial role in addressing pertinent issues and charting a strategic course for the growth of the tourism industry.
Tourism Pitso is a forum or meeting focused on discussion, networking, and addressing challenges within the tourism sector. The gathering attracts various stakeholders, including government officials, tourism operators, and industry representatives, to address issues and promote tourism development.
Officially opening the Hospitality and Tourism Association Botswana (HATAB) conference in Maun yesterday held under the theme: Botswana Tourism; Exploring the Conditions for Growth, the President appreciated that the forum aimed to discuss key issues and opportunities within the tourism industry and promote the country as a leading tourism destination.
“This forum will also accord me an opportunity to learn and be guided by experts and people who are conversant with tourism issues,” he said.
He underscored the tourism sector’s importance as the emerging engine of economic diversification moving beyond diamond dependence. Tourism, he said, had a huge potential for the country, coming second after minerals in its contribution. He therefore emphasised the need to address challenges that hinder the industry’s growth.
President Boko informed the gathering that government was ready to engage with all sectors that drive economic growth and development to move the country forward. He also acceded to a request for a courtesy call by HATAB chairperson, saying that would help to discuss issues impacting the tourism industry in depth. Stakeholder engagement, he said was key to address challenges facing the sector.
Addressing what he described as a demand for law reforms, the President urged the tourism captains to also identify challenges that impeded the industry’s progress, saying government was committed to reviewing policies, procedures and laws to do away with bottlenecks.
Shaping policies and development of laws with a view to make the environment conducive for doing business was a priority for the government, he said.
“There is no doubt that the sector is faced with issues such as delay in renewal of leases for concessions and my question is why does the process has to take long instead of two days. My belief is when stuff comes, we need to take a quick route to act,” he added.
The industry players were also encouraged to consider the P4 000 minimum wage for implementation, which President Boko said could improve productivity. “Paying employees well generally leads to increased productivity. High wages motivate them to work hard and when production rises, profits also improve,” he added.
Earlier on, HATAB chairman, Mr Joe Motse requested the government to consider reviving the Tourism Pitso, saying the forum gave them a platform to engage with relevant authorities on pressing issues affecting the industry.
He also said that when the government formulate policies, it was critical to conduct a study on implications. “There is a need to do a litmus test for the policies to see how they will impact the industry and where there is an impediment, we should not take long to review the said policy because the delay disadvantaged the industry,” he added.
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