Botswana Tourism Investment Summit to spotlight country’s untapped tourism potential and investment
The highly anticipated ‘Botswana Tourism Investment Summit’ hosted by International Tourism Investment Corporation Ltd (ITIC – www.itic.uk) in partnership with Botswana Tourism Organisation (BTO) will be held in Gaborone, Botswana on 22-24 November 2023 and will aim to highlight the country’s strong potential and untapped tourism and investment opportunities. The Botswana Tourism Organisation (BTO) and International Tourism and Investment Conference (ITIC), in collaboration with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) have today announced that the upcoming ITIC Tourism Investment Summit will take place in Gaborone, Botswana on 22-24 November 2023.
The two-day Summit is expected to act as a catalyst for unlocking investment opportunities for Botswana which remains a relatively unexploited tourist region. Over the last few years, Botswana has been actively shifting to another stage of its economic development. The country is strongly positioned in the heart of southern Africa as a gateway to South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Namibia – effectively a conduit for investors to do business with the rest of Southern Africa.
A conducive environment will be rolled out to accelerate the impact of foreign investment and tourism within Botswana that has become the future engine of growth and is Africa’s longest surviving democracy since independence with a stable and prosperous economy.
Speaking ahead of the Summit, Hon. Philda Nani Kereng, Minister of Environment and Tourism of Botswana, said: “Botswana opens its doors to international sustainable investment opportunities that, till now, have been relatively untapped. Our mission is to provoke new thinking and explore new opportunities and financial mechanisms for sustainable investments in travel and tourism and business. We are honoured to host the Botswana Tourism Investment Summit organised by ITIC and with a landscape like no other, we strongly encourage policy makers and investors not to underestimate the potential of one of the most beautiful countries within Africa. Rated Africa’s best safari destination 2023, the Summit propels investments towards building Botswana as a destination of choice for business”.
The BotswanaTourism Investment Summit and Exhibition will host approximately 300-400 tourism and financial services CEOs and business elites who will deliver an unrivalled combination of thought-provoking content and extraordinary networking opportunities. This will bring together international leaders and project developers in the tourism, travel and hospitality sectors and connect them with investors from private equity firms, investment banks, institutional investors, fund managers and influencers, who have the power to channel capital and to raise funds to invest in sustainable tourism projects.
The Summit will see some of the best specialists explore the current
trends and discuss the future of the tourism industry in Botswana. This
was reiterated by IFC – International Finance Corporation’s acting
Country Manager for Botswana, Indira Campos, who said, “Tourism is a key
enabling sector in Botswana with high potential for growth and can help
create jobs, reduce inequality, and contribute to diversifying the
economy. IFC is committed to supporting efforts to further develop
Botswana’s tourism sector by attracting private investment into lodges
and other tourism-related infrastructure, including transport, hotels,
camp and caravan sites, and food and hospitality services.”
IFC, a member of the World Bank, promotes private sector development in
emerging markets, and its work in the tourism sector is a key part of
that mission.
IFC provides financing and advisory services to help businesses in
this sector grow and create jobs, while also promoting sustainable and
inclusive economic growth. Furthermore, Dr. Taleb Rifai, Chairman of
ITIC & former Secretary General of the United Nations World Tourism
Organisation said: “We are delighted that Botswana has been recognised
for the vast investment potential available to potential stakeholders.
The country’s financial and capital markets are among the most
sophisticated in Africa, and our Summit provides the opportune platform
to drive international awareness and further investment into Botswana
and act as a catalyst for growth”.
