Page 22 - Meetings Botswana 2024 FINAL

22 Meetings Botswana 2024
For event organisers considering Botswana as a
destination, the first essential is a geography
lesson.
A landlocked country in Southern Africa,
similar in size to France, Botswana has around 2.3m
inhabitants, is essentially flat, and borders Zambia in the
north, Zimbabwe in the north-east, Namibia to the north-
west and South Africa to the south.
The Kalahari desert makes up nearly 70 per cent of the
country, and 10 per cent of its population lives in the capital
Gaborone near its southern border with South Africa …
while most tourists currently head to the north where the
Moremi Game Reserve in the Okavango Delta and the
Chobe River constitute its primary scenic attractions.
Independent since 1966, mining, agriculture and
tourism make up its principal industry sectors, with
revenues from the latter contributing around 13.5 per cent
of GDP.
The major selling point for Botswana is its wildlife, with
the floodplains of the Okovango and desert areas providing
a home to a wealth of creatures great and small – the Chobe
National Park alone has the world’s largest concentration
of African elephants, while there are specialised sanctuaries
for rhinos and flamingos, and an additional attraction is
the unrivalled concentration of bushmen rock art found in
the Tsodilo Hills.
Nominated as Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel just three
years ago, Botswana was rated the number one place to visit
due to its ‘rare combination of desert and delta, as well as
its vast array of wildlife ... with 17 per cent of the country
dedicated to national parks – and Okavango Delta named
as UNESCO’s 1,000th World Heritage Site in 2014.’
However, moving with the times, there is increased
focus on adventure tourism with quad bikes, horse and
camel riding trips, skydiving, moon-light cycling, fly
fishing and balloon safaris now on the menu, as well as golf
in Gaborone – all or any of which can be incorporated in
to a corporate event or incentive.
CAPITAL ATTRACTIONS
Located in the south of country, just 15km from the
border with South Africa, the Botswana capital Gaborone
is the main economic and administrative centre, created on
independence in 1966 and named after Kgosi Gaborone,
leader of the Batlokwa people residing in the area.
Expanding rapidly, the city offers up a growing of
venues for meetings and exhibitions, with a wealth of
cultural, leisure and gala activities available to include in
a corporate itinerary.
T H E D E S T I N A T I O N
Animal magic & more...
Offering safaris with a difference, as well as urban facilities for events that are on a par with
international standards, Botswana is climbing up the ranks of top MICE destinations
Above: Three Chiefs
Monument in Gaborone.