Africa-Press – Botswana. Botswana’s leading tour and travel operators, AT&T Monnakgotla, has partnered with a South African travel consortium, Tourvest, which has over 100 travel agencies.
Officiating at the partnership recently, Minister of Entrepreneurship, Mr Karabo Gare said through the partnership AT&T was bound to enjoy unrestricted access to regional markets.
Minister Gare also said the partnership was not an event but a process that needed to be monitored and evaluated to appreciate its growth in terms of job creation, capital inflows, resilience and sustainability
He said AT&T Travel was a leader in the local travel and tourism industry given its wide range of services such as airline reservations, travel insurance, holiday packages, hotel reservations, car rental reservations, safari packages and visa assistance.
Minister Gare said the collaboration would give a fresh impetus to efforts to promote and sustain regional integration and investment promotion, adding that government attached great importance to travel and tourism.
He said the agreement would also assist government to build resilient, inclusive and sustainable local economies, and that it would ensure that the private sector played a leading role in the socio-economic development of the country.
AT&T Travel director, Mr Abel Monnakgotla said they were excited about the partnership and that they were founded in 2000.
He also noted their diverse business portfolio ranging from transportation, real estate and travel and tours among others.
About the partnership with the Tourvest group, he said it was critical to form alliances with travel agents, hotel networks and car rental companies.
He also emphasised the importance of collaboration in the travel industry, saying operating in isolation was not an option.
He noted their past affiliation with Lufthansa City Centres in Germany which facilitated travel to the Scandinavian and Schengen countries.
He said their focus was now to contribute to the Southern African Development Community (SADC) tourism industry through Tourvest.
He said they were committed to promoting proper ethics, professionalism, fair trading, integrity and competence in the travel industry.
He also stressed the importance of employing qualified individuals who understood the complexities of the travel industry.
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