Month: September 2023
Press Release
The Botswana Tourism Investment Summit aims to spotlight the country as an economic tiger in the making for its untapped tourism and investment opportunities.
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 Botswana Tourism 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.
About the organisers
ITIC UK
The London UK-based ITIC Ltd (International Tourism and Investment Conference) acts as an enabler between the tourism industry and leaders of the financial services to facilitate and structure investments in sustainable tourism projects, infrastructures and services that will benefit to destinations, project developers and the local communities through social inclusion and shared growth.
ITIC team undertakes extensive research to shed new light and perspectives on tourism investment opportunities in the regions in which we operate. In addition to our conferences, we also provides project management and financial advisory services to destinations and tourism developers.
To find out more about ITIC and its conferences in Cape Town (Africa); Bulgaria (CEE & SEE regions); Dubai (Middle East); Jamaica (Caribbean), London UK (Global Destinations) and elsewhere please visit www.itic.uk
Botswana Tourism Organisation (BTO)
Botswana Tourism Organisation (BTO) is a parastatal established through an act of parliament under the Ministry of Environment and Tourism. It is mandated to market and position Botswana as a premier tourist destination; promote investment in the tourism sector; and to grade and classify tourism facilities. BTO shall do all things necessary to market and promote Botswana tourist attractions, encourage and facilitate trave by local and foreign tourist to the said attractions.
Stemming from its mandate, investment facilitation initiatives are carried out with the aim of increasing the contribution of tourism to the nation’s economic growth through promoting the expansion of existing tourist enterprises and new investments in the tourism sector. It contributes to citizen economic empowerment and poverty alleviation by facilitating increased citizen participation in tourism value chains and diversify the tourism sector both in terms of geographic location and product.
Through the BTO Act of 2009, it provides that all tourist enterprises licensed under the Tourism Act of 2009 shall be graded. The grading system serves as a useful marketing tool in indicating to travel agents, tour operators, and tourists in general the quality of service in areas, as a basis for deciding which facilities to select before starting a journey to any particular destination. The system also provides a framework to industry investors in designing their facilities to attract the desired market groups.
International Finance Corporation (IFC)
IFC — a member of the World Bank Group — is the largest global development institution focused on the private sector in emerging markets.
We work in more than 100 countries, using our capital, expertise, and influence to create markets and opportunities in developing countries.
In fiscal year 2023, IFC committed a record $43.7 billion to private companies and financial institutions in developing countries, leveraging the power of the private sector to end extreme poverty and boost shared prosperity as economies grapple with the impacts of global compounding crises.
For more information, visit www.ifc.org
Indira Campos
Acting Country Manager, Botswana
International Finance Corporation
Carmen Roberts
Presenter The Travel Show
BBC World News
Carmen Roberts is a presenter on The Travel Show seen on BBC World. For the past 22 years, Carmen has worked for BBC World TV in London, Singapore and Tokyo covering a wide variety of topics including news, business, travel and technology and reported from over 80 countries around the world.
Carmen has worked on high profile BBC programs such as Hard Talk, Click, Fast Track, Asia Business Report, World Business Report, Talking Movies and general BBC news programs. During her time in London, Carmen also worked for CNN, Sky News, Associated Press TV as well as the London New Network.
After the Asian Tsunami on Boxing Day 2004, Carmen cut short her holiday in Langkawi, Malaysia to report from the devastated resort town of Phuket in Thailand.
Carmen has produced a program aboard the world’s longest flight, filmed at the nuclear power plant in Chernobyl and reported from one of the world’s most secretive countries, North Korea.
Born in Singapore, her father was from New Zealand and her grandparents were Scottish. However, Carmen grew up on Australia’s Gold Coast and moved to London in 2000. Carmen has lived in Singapore, and Tokyo and is now based in the UK with her husband and three children.
Hon. Edmund Bartlett
Minister of Tourism, Jamaica and Chairman,
Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre (GTRCMC)
Recognized for his wide-ranging expertise and accomplishments in the political arena, Honourable Edmund Bartlett has given over thirty-five years of service to Jamaica, working both in the Senate and in the House of Representatives.
Mr. Bartlett was first appointed Minister of Tourism in 2007, serving until December 2011. Prior to this appointment, he already had a solid track record of service as an outstanding legislator in central government in both Chambers of Parliament. While serving in the shadow Cabinet following his first stint as Tourism Minister, Mr. Bartlett traveled the world forging alliances with strategic partners for global initiatives. He returned to the helm of the Ministry of Tourism following his party’s victory in Jamaica’s February 2016 general election.
As one of the world’s leading Tourism Ministers, Mr. Bartlett has represented Jamaica regionally and internationally and currently chairs the Board of Affiliate Members of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). During his first tenure as tourism minister he served as Vice Chairman of the Executive Council of the UNWTO, representing the Americas. He is the first to serve on the executive of both the public and private sector arms of this prestigious organization. Mr. Bartlett has also served on the Council of Ministers for the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) and as Vice Chairman of CTO. This wealth of experience has made him a much sought-after speaker at tourism-related fora.
Mr. Bartlett is an ardent proponent of public private partnerships (PPPS), which he considers essential to the sustainable development of the tourism industry. These alliances span the various sectors, locally and internationally, that make up tourism, including transportation, agriculture and manufacturing. Some of these partnerships have taken the form of foreign direct investment, particularly in the area of accommodation.
Tourism has been positioned by Mr. Bartlett as a catalyst for economic growth and the transformation of communities. He has established five networks (Gastronomy, Shopping, Health and Wellness, Sports and Entertainment, and Knowledge) to fuel growth and initiated the Tourism Linkages Network within the Ministry to strengthen sustainable linkages between tourism and other sectors of the economy.
The region has also benefited from Mr. Bartlett’s innovative thinking, as he views other Caribbean and Latin American destinations not as Jamaica’s competitors but as partners that can use their combined tourism offerings to attract more visitors to experience multi-destination tourism. He has taken bold steps to have this facilitated under a special Memoranda of Understanding between nations in the region.
Mr. Bartlett has copped numerous awards. He was the recipient of the 2016 Caribbean Tourism Minister of Distinction award at the recent African Diaspora World Tourism Awards. He was also awarded Caribbean’s Leading Personality for Outstanding Services to Tourism at the 23rd World Travel Awards in 2016. In 2012, Mr. Bartlett was conferred with the Order of Distinction in the rank of Commander (CD) for outstanding and important services to Jamaica and in 2010, was conferred with the Commander of Number of the Order of Civil Merit of Spain on the order of the King of Spain.