Page 13 - Meetings Botswana 2024 FINAL

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Meetings Botswana 2024
visitors as well as local residents, especially through the
diversification of tourism products. Among others, it is
expected that the policy will pave avenues for more citizen
participation and empowerment within and outside
the sector. It will create jobs and other opportunities
away from classical tourist areas such as the Chobe and
Okavango regions in the north.
The government of Botswana has therefore set out
to develop a national MICE strategy and a road map
to ensure that the country can effectively diversify its
tourism product and position the country as a global
MICE destination by 2036. As the process begins to take
shape, work has already begun to aggressively draw more
international events into the country to grow the nation’s
voice and footprint in the global community.
A number of international events including the US-
Africa Business Summit, Fifth Kusi Ideas Festival, Forbes
Under 30 Summit Africa, 73rd Session of the World
Health Organisation Regional Committee for Africa,
Botswana Tourism Investment Summit 202, as well as the
Eastern and Southern African Anti-Money Laundering
Group (ESAAMLG) Council of Ministers Meeting have all
been hosted in Botswana recently to enhance the country’s
global profile and position the country as a world class
hub for MICE. Other notable international events which
have been hosted in the last year include UNESCO’s 18th
Session of the Inter-Governmental Committee for the
Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage and the
2023 Annual Natural Diamond Summit.
The Africa Tourism Leadership Forum and Awards are
expected to be held later in the year. The awards, organised
by the Africa Tourism Leadership Forum (ATLF), should
be impactful for Botswana because ATLF is a Pan-African
dialogue platform which brings together the continent’s
key stakeholders. These stakeholders are from the travel,
tourism, hospitality and aviation sectors, and they are
brought together to network and share insights and device
strategies for intra-Africa travel and tourism growth. The
forum is also in the business of selling tourism as a major
economic pillar that can diversify African economies.
It is evident that with the development of a national
MICE strategy, Botswana will have to formalise
international events’ bidding processes to ensure that the
I N T R O D U C T I O N
country puts its resources where it will matter most, so
that such efforts stand better chances of succeeding. Many
stakeholders are of the opinion that a dedicated National
Bid Committee composed of experts in the field must be
formed as the committee would be better positioned to
attract global events into the country with the financial
backing of the Government.
Left: Botswana President
Dr Mokgweeetsi Eric Masisi
with Zimbabwean president
Emmerson Mnangagwe,
Rwanda prime minister Dr.
Edouard Ngirente, Deputy
prime minister of Tanzania
Dr. Doto Biteko and the
moderator Admassu Tadesse
during the presidential round
table of the 5th Kusi Ideas
Festival in Gaborone on 7
December 2023. Image by
Monirul Bhuiyan.
Below: Botswana President
Dr Mokgweeetsi Eric Masisi
with Zimbabwean president
Emmerson Mnangagwe,
Rwanda prime minister Dr.
Edouard Ngirente and Deputy
prime minister of Tanzania
Dr. Doto Biteko touring the
display stalls after officially
opening the 5th Kusi Ideas
Festival in Gaborone on 7
December 2023. Image by
Monirul Bhuiyan.