Botswana Tourism Organisation Projects

If you are interested in any of the projects listed or need any further information, please get in touch with the ITIC team.



Botswana Private Sector Projects

If you are interested in any of the projects listed or need any further information, please get in touch with ITIC team.

 

Kgalagadi Smart City – A Private Public Partnership

 
If you are interested in Kgalagadi Smart City or need any further information, please get in touch with the ITIC team.
Concept Note

In line with the laudable vision of the Government of the Republic of Botswana to develop a sustainable tourism industry that opens a new window of opportunities to the citizens of its country, ITIC in partnership with the Government / BTO to conceive and nurture an investment product that will be showcased to potential investors during the Investment Summit. It is proposed to have a PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP format for the development of the project.

The idea is to convert part of the Kgalagadi desert into a LEISURE AND LIFESTYLE SMART CITY which will comprise various investments in infrastructural development such as the setting-up of a road network, airport, railway system, hotel development, golf resort, wilderness and luxury safari lodges, African museum and heritage, theatres and cultural centres, art galleries, residential areas and apartments, schools and universities, business centres, shopping malls, theme parks and tourism attractions, hospitals and wellness centres and other related development and ancillary services. The development will not only be sustainable but also promote the cultural diversity and heritage as well as social inclusion for the shared growth of all the people of Botswana.

This project will be promoted to attract FDI into the country, positioning Botswana as a hub for the Southern African region, creating employment for the locals, inviting foreign businesses to establish in Botswana, encouraging local Botswana project developers to join in the projects either through 100% shareholding or joint ventures with foreigners. In addition, SMEs will be invited to actively participate at every stage of the development of this initiative to benefit from transfer of expertise with the ultimate objective of value creation and bringing wealth for the people of the Republic of Botswana.

ITIC has already approached major hotel brands which are keen to support the project. It will also work alongside the Government of the Republic of Botswana to invite major international airlines to use Botswana as a hub for the region to boost air connectivity in the southern African region and the continent.

Carmen Roberts

ITIC Speaker
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

ITIC 2018 Park Lane London
Hon. Edmund Bartlett CD, MP
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.

Message of Co-chair of GTRCMC Board


Hon. Edmund Bartlett, CD, MP
Minister of Tourism
Jamaica

 

The need for the creation of a global tourism resilience initiative was one of the major outcomes of the Global Conference on Jobs and Inclusive Growth: Partnerships for Sustainable Tourism under the esteemed partnership of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the Government of Jamaica, the World Bank Group and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).

We have continued the charge in developing this much-needed initiative in the form of the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre.

The ultimate goal of the Centre is to assist destination preparedness, management and recovery from disruptions and/or crises that affect tourism and threaten economies and livelihoods globally.

It will specifically be tasked with creating, producing and generating toolkits, guidelines and policies to assist with preparatory and recovery efforts of tourism stakeholders affected by climatic, pandemic, cyber-crime and cyber-terrorism related disruptions.

This Centre is of particular importance in the region, because of the vulnerability of the Caribbean to climatic and other disruptions. This is primarily because our tourism industries in the region are dependent on a number of infrastructure such as airports and hotels, so structural integrity is important.

We must therefore use every opportunity and capacity to anticipate what will be happening by tracking these disruptions, managing the process when they arrive, and recovering not just in real time, but in Nano time, so as to ensure the stability of the region.

The Centre is housed at the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus but will have a global impact thanks to our partners and board members from every continent across the world. As Minister of Tourism of Jamaica, I am filled with great pride for the world’s confidence in us and for the support of this very important institution in the industry.

I am particularly grateful to the UWI for allowing us the use of the space and more so to enable us to make it the kind of facility that we can be happy to welcome the world to participate here in great things and other kinds of cerebral activities. This partnership will give Jamaica, the Caribbean and the world a new opportunity to understand global disruptions.

I have no doubt that this Centre will be very successful and I look forward to seeing the impact it will have on the region and countries across the Globe. 

Travel Information


 

 Self DrivingCamping

 
 

Embarking on a camping trip in Botswana requires a good deal of planning and preparation. You will be going to remote areas, accessible only by four-wheel drive, where water, petrol or food may not be available.


 

 Time To Visit

 
 

Botswana is an all-year round destination. The two distinctive seasons give varied all round terrific experiences.


 

 Going Green

 
 

Botswana Tourism Organisation (BTO) promotes best practice management systems across all tourism industry sectors to facilitate environmentally sustainable tourism development.

Why invest in Bostwana?

 

Botswana has over the years consistently ranked highly on economic and development indicators compiled by internationally recognized rating agencies such as a Business report. Transparency International. Ease of Doing Business Report (World Bank)

Strategically located at the heart of Southern Africa, Botswana offers excellent opportunities for investment. Botswana has managed to maintain a stable and growing economy since its independence in 1966. According to the United Nations, “Botswana’s greatest assets are peace, law & order, disciplined fiscal and monetary policies, and capable public institutions.”

Botswana has over the years consistently ranked highly on economic and development indicators compiled by internationally recognized rating agencies such as:

  • Business report
  • Transparency International
  • Ease of Doing Business Report (World Bank)
  • Heritage Foundation
  • Moody’s
  • Standard & Poors
  • The Global Competitiveness Report (World Economic Forum)Global Rating Agencies
  • The World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Global Information Technology Report (GITR)
  • Corruption Perception Index
 

In her effort to attract Foreign Direct Investment, Botswana offers the following investment incentives:

  • The low tax regime in the region:
    • 15% for manufacturing, financial services companies, and companies registered in the innovation hub;
    • 22% corporate tax for others;
    • Low personal income tax of up to 25%;
    • 12% Value Added Tax
    • Possible tax holidays for 5-10 years
    • Free repatriation of profits
    • Customs Duty Draw Back Facility, Free importation of raw materials, machinery, and equipment;
     
  • Great market access opportunities:
    • Duty-Free Quota Free Market Access to more than 50 million consumers in Botswana, South Africa, Namibia, Lesotho, and Eswatini;
    • Preferential market access to more than 345 million consumers in the SADC region;
    • Duty-Free Quota Free Market Access to the USA;
    • Duty-Free Quota Free Market Access to the European Union;
    • Double taxation agreements in place with South Africa, United Kingdom, Sweden, Mauritius, India, and Russia;
     
  • Botswana has a record of harmonious industrial relations, which aim to protect the interests of both workers and employers;
  • Botswana offers a thriving domestic financial sector, which includes banks, insurance companies, and a growing stock market. Botswana has acceded to international conventions and is strictly observing internationally accepted guidelines on combating money laundering and financial crime.
 

Areas of Investments

  • Botswana New Smart & Leisure City
  • High-end Tourism projects
  • Infrastructure – Airport / Road Developments
  • Health Protection
  • Education & Training
  • Hotels / Accommodation / Hotel Apart
  • Golf Resorts
  • Business Tourism, MICE and Convention Centres
  • Tourist Attractions & Leisure Parks
  • Eco Tourism / Eco lodges (wilderness)
  • African Museum and Heritage
  • Landmark Lifestyle
  • Events & Entertainment
  • Dams
  • Sports and Adventure Tourism (Desert Sport)
  • Gastronomic Tourism
  • Historic and Cultural Tourism