Ministerial Panel
Welcome uh thank you for having me uh honored guests distinguished guests um I’m so pleased to be here at the very first Botswana tourism Summit investment Summit now we’re having a ministerial panel which I’m very excited about and it’s going to be a hybrid panel so this
Is the first time I’ve done a hybrid panel and I think it’s excellent because we’ll have uh three uh honorable guests in real life and we’ll also have be joined virtually um from different parts of the world so we can include so many different voices which is excellent so
Let me introduce uh our C panel’s guests so first up uh a woman who of course needs no introduction The Honorable filder Nani Kang the minister of environment and tourism in Botswana I love that botswanan call that’s brilliant um thank you Minister we’ve also got uh The Honorable Edmund
Bartlet minister of Tourism from Jamaica who will be joining us virtually I don’t know if that comes up now or a bit later um we’ve also got the honorable Vera koule who is the Minister of tourism in Malawi I really hope I pronounced that correctly she’ll also be
Joining us virtually um we’ve got langang Wang the resident representative of the World Bank and he joins us in real life thank you um we’ve got his Excellency raky Phillips the CEO of Ras alimer tourism Development Authority and he will also join us virtually um I see the infrastructures there so fingers
Crossed we get everyone and last but not least we’ve got Dr talb brai chairman of the itic and investment tourism Limited [Applause] how’s the technology going have we got the the link UPS I must say this is my first time in Botswana and I’ve been very impressed thank you minister it it was
Fantastic I um I’ve just got back from the okavango Delta and I had a wonderful time I’ve I spent two days there which was not long enough obviously uh so I will be back let’s talk investment investment and we will also of course I forgot that we also have another
Panelist that was due to join us but it is uh European Parliament is in session cannot stand in cannot stand in in the way of that so we joined uh virtually who sent us a video we’re joined by The Honorable Elena Cura member of European Parliament um she is sending us a video
Message which is very important about Botswana it is a pleasure to be joining you at the buana tourist in summ I would like to commend on the country’s effort as a forward thinking destination in sustainable tourism development aiming for low volume yet high value tourism sustainability and resilience in tourism
Is the only way forward for all destinations both the established but also the emerging this is more evident today that we all must meet the global climate goals but also over overcome current parallel crisis of high inflation and soaring prices in energy goods and services that affect our
Economies and societies as a member of the European Parliament and coordinator of my political group at the transport and Tourism Committee Tran I would like to share briefly my thoughts on the greater picture for Botswana and all states or areas that commit to a sustainable future
As many of you know I had served minister of tourism in my country Greece in the period 2015 2018 when my country was going through its most harsh economic crisis we introduced and innovate tourism policy and we relaunched Greece in the global tourism Market as 365 day destination focusing
On authenticity diversity and high quality we did so by extending the summer season and enhancing winter tourism we also introduced new less known Greek destinations and developed new thematic tourism products in our Global agreement with major tour operators at the same time we increased air connectivity with our traditional but also new European
And Lon hul markets of Tourism of higher income that we opened with hundreds of new direct flights per month and we attracted new Investments making Greece the best business opportunity in the med and Europe in its dynamically growing tourism sector despite the adverse conditions we faced we manag with our strategy to increase
Inbound tourism by 40% in 5 years reaching 32 million tourists and more than 18 billion EUR tourism revenue and overall contribution to our economy from all the other sectors 40 billion yearly this impressive performance not only helped our economy and our country to exit the economic crisis but also was
Commended by the unwto and wttc and other Global institutions as a success story a showcase country for its best practices in tourism by placing sustainable tourism growth at the heart of the strategy we committed to long-term benefits for our economy but also for our local communities that had access to
New sources of income new jobs and better prospects for their well-being this is exactly what we are doing right now in the Europe European Union with our first ever European strategy for sustainable tourism and I’m very proud I contribute with my experience to several European Parliament resolutions we vote in the
Past years that led the European commission to present last year the European agenda for sustainable tourism until 2030 the agenda has clear guidelines for member states in the context of our climate neutrality and sustainability goals but also for economic and social progress we also Place emphasis on the green and
Digital transformation of the travel and tourism and the transport sector and encourage Investments for expanding the use of renewable energy we promote the unique advantages of each country and each destination through Diversified products such as ecotourism Health tourism Wellness Sports tourism cultural tourism and we invest in smart and
Sustainable cities and islands bwana has an enormous potential the countries reach wildlife and biodiversity are valuable Assets in shaping the tourism of the future conservation efforts along with sustainable tourism products are in full Alli with empowering local communities the EU has been supporting bana in several fields and by various project including
The tourism sector from my experience and know how in key areas that we are currently working on the EU I would like to point out the importance of supporting the business environment and especially the small and mediumsized businesses as well as the work force to be ready for the
Green and digital transformation also tourism growth must go in hand with modern safe and resilient infrastructure capable to serve future needs and last but not least we need to be more open to cooperation both in terms of public private sector Partnerships but also between states I have been a strong
Supporter myself of cooperation Beyond National borders because tourism by its nature interconnect us all and is a catalyst for growth in all productive sectors and professions including trade energy Transportation construction food and beverage entertainment and other creative economies even more countries must cooperate closely especially against crisis because no country and no
Economy can by itself deal with the mega crisis of today and tomorrow one of my proposals that was adopted in several resolutions in the European Parliament was the need to create a European crisis management mechanism to addresses all crisis including climate change wildfires floating excessive weather phenomena
That we are already facing in Europe and elsewhere such mechanism applied in a broader re Regional level with help all countries public and private sector to exchange knowhow and support in buildings more resilient destinations and more sustainable travel and tourism experiences with these thoughts I wish every success to the summit and please
Know that I strongly support and encourage ideas and projects that help our countries our econom iies and societies to grow stronger and better thank you so much thank you very much there to Elena conura from the EU Parliament um she raised so many good issues there that we
Can all unwrap now in this panel discussion you know public private Partnerships renewable energy I see there’s um a lot of new Eco Safari vehicles coming online now which is great to see um and air connectivity is another big issue I think that we’ll be discussing further in detail but we will
Be joined at 12:00 on the dot by fly Dubai so that’s another virtual uh attendee to join us then so but let’s kick off and let’s talk about geography because Botswana Minister Kang is in a strategic location in in southern Africa it borders four countries how can this help us Channel investment
M bana sits right at the heart of Souther Africa I don’t know okay technical support technical oh there we go hello F sitting right at the heart of southern Africa in between South Africa Namibia Zimbabwe Zambia and also in a conservation treaty with those four four countries of Zimbabwe
Zambia Namibia and Angola is called the Kasa the you know zabi uh trans Frontier Conservation Area and this Kaza region manages the very fragile CH River and the wildlife that is abundant in that area so already we have got this cooperation going around these five countries to to conserve and
All of these countries are actually conserving and trading in the space of Tourism from this resource you know the wildlife that you so and all that and it is important for us to ensure or to to emphasize that we don’t do tourism alone and think we can achieve that alone so
Being at the heart of southern Africa gives us opportunities to build a tourism product that can attract the investment that I think we are really gathered here to promote first of all where we are as Botswana is a place that is not easy to reach in terms of access
Or accessibility whether by road but mostly by air I think we can agree with me that it wasn’t easy reaching this place you didn’t take one flight some didn’t take two flights some took up to four connections to arrive here so the investment that we need first and
Foremost is to be able once we have found that this is a place that we can trade your business you can do tourism find out a way that we can connect that with the invest that we are going to be propelling through this Summit on air connectivity we don’t want to expect as
A country that you know with our small air BS Airline we can be able to do long haul go and fetch you from New Orleans you know from New York you know from from the UAE and so forth but this investment must also consider the kind
Of Partnerships that we need to be able to get people here seamlessly efficiently effectively and with the utmost comfort that we need this place is in southern Africa which globally is an area that is the richest in Wildlife Resources natural resources the forests our our Rivers we are also an Arrid area
Which gives us lot of land that is a desert land that also has its features it has its Wildlife it has its natural very beautiful landscape Rich cultures and so forth so once we talk about the location and we have access to it then we are set
In terms of coming here to invest so in terms of you know the natural richness or natural wealth of our Wildlife Botswana holds the largest population of elephants in the whole world 131,000 that’s where we stand now and we have got our forest we have got this you know
Okavango Delta and so forth now we talking about sustainability and saying they to invest in a country that is so rich in natural resources including diamonds for sure sure you know the highest in value and all that we are talking about considering investment in sustainability in the preservation and
Protection of our natural resources because that’s the product that we trade in and it’s a destination where we must be able to say the tourist that emerges especially from covid-19 the tourist that is aware whose mind is tuned to climate change whose mind is tuned you know to conservation sustainability they
Want to visit a place where they know they will be fulfilled in terms of you know engaging with a country that has got sustainability at it its heart so investment in conservation investment in natural resources preservation especially as for us in bwana it’s also a beneficiation you know program that we
Do with our natural resources investing in people investing in the culture that has preserved all these landscapes for a long time so we sit in a very opportune you know a place where we just have to be boldly you know agreeing within our El that we will make sure that the
Investment in in the infrastructure especially air connectivity should bring us here then we’ll find the whole world you know to invest in once you are here that’s great Minister King I like how that your cooperation with the neighboring countries have started with the sustainability and the environment
That that has brought you together with your neighboring countries um that’s a great framework to start from as well um have we got the virtual uh delegates have we got Jamaica and Ras alimer or is is that not happening double thumbs up from the backstage there uh so that’s a confirmation okay
Great um I just don’t see anyone um we’ll we’ll come back to that but also sustainability I know is a very oh hello hi there so um well geographically speaking um well oh hello his Excellency Ry Phillips joins us um so geographically speaking um raky you can comment on this because
Ras alimer like oh hello Minister Bartlett um Ras Al like Botswana is a desert location it’s a desert location but um and also built on sustainability but uh we’re also you’ve done such a great job as a mice destination you’ve come on Leaps and Bounds and you’ve you’ve snagged that
Air connectivity issue can can you talk us through this and how geographically speaking this is a good location and and also um building up your mice reputation what uh tips of advice do you have for Botswana thanks Carmen it’s nice to uh hear you last time we met we were in
Person so I wish you weren’t meeting virtually and uh to The Honorable Minister my friend Edmond Bartlet and everyone in Botswana I wish I could have been there my uh my Mo from my team and some of my friends from the UAE are there and I’m getting some wonderful
Pictures of how absolutely stunning bwana is um and it’s definitely on my on my list it’s very impressive to host such a tourism investment Summit because I know uh the wealth that batswana offers and the focus from a tourism perspective us and rosela here in the UA
Tourism has been a key driver to Innovation and growth um if you look look at the UAE which is an oil rich country with a tremendous amount of wealth um tourism makes up 12% of the country’s GDP and 750,000 people work within the uh the tourism and hospitality industry so for
Us it’s a great way to contribute to the livability and the Improvement um of uh uh of the industry um Carmen you’re absolutely right there’s a tremendous amount of comparisons between Rosel as an Emirate and Wana as a country and from the beautiful pictures that I’ve
Seen and the videos that some of my colleagues have shared um it is it is abundant with resources uh Wildlife um and and and all of the elements that are that are available with the natural beauty we focus on sustainability we focus on mice but unlike um the previous
Uh conversations we are blessed with tremendous connectivity the UAE is located in the middle of the world um we have accessibility to uh close to three billion people at a 4-Hour flight Dubai International Airport is 45 minutes away uh from Rosel and we have our very own Rosel national airport but it is
Important that we continuously promote the destination highlight the significance of rosela why having mice meetings here focusing on sustainability ensuring that we innovate as we move into um the future making sure that Russell continues to be an important um vehicle to drive tourism with our connectivity with the ease of doing
Business um and ensuring that we are always uh front and center thank you so much raki my lady common as you mentioned it is time now to talk a connectivity with your kind allowance my lady as moderator kindly allow us a slight switch in Pro programming at this moment Ian Golding
Will be joining you briefly on stage for a 10-minute highlevel gamechanging conversation with the CEO of fly Dubai thank you my lady thank you very much and apologies for interrup we have uh gate elgate uh on the screen and wonderful that you could join us uh a Dubai has had quite
Extraordinary uh growth since its formation in 2008 uh absolutely exponential growth uh congratulations on uh now just uh confirming your order for 1 new Dreamliner aircraft which will further enhance your capacity um to connect you’re already connected to many African uh capitals uh but not yet to gabaroni so we hope we
Can entice you here and um Why Don’t We Begin by you telling us something about your vision for the future of Air Dubai and how you see uh yourself growing in particularly in the in the African continent thank you very much um for having me uh on this show uh I would
Rather be there with you in person to enjoy your beautiful country but unfortunately um with the program uh couldn’t make it but U I’m honored to be uh to be with you today uh fly Dubai we actually started the airline was launched in 2008 and we start flying in
2009 and since then um you know we carried over 100 million uh passenger we currently connect Dubai to over 120 destination and yeah I mean it’s um it’s an airline that has sort of discovered its self and grow just like du evolved over over over the years and how Dubai have
Changed fly Dubai is also adopted and that’s why you know from from our having now the ability to uh to uh fly the Dreamliner will allow us to go to further places increasing uh our reach as an airline and for that uh we are honored by the commitment um given to us
By our shareholders and the government for us to be able to go to that level uh of course Africa uh is always have been an important uh part of the uh of the business uh potential that we saw we saw that’s why we currently fly to uh 12 destination in
In in the continent and I think there is there is more to be had Mombasa should be our new destination in the in the next weeks months to come uh but but we see a greater potential because you know what we have done in fly Dubai uh connecting
Dubai to almost over 75 un uh connected destination to Dubai prior to our St is just one example to how we can do serve uh the continent of Africa and now with a Dreamliner that gives us the ability to go to even more um viable destination in Africa and when
It comes to connecting to Dubai you are not only connecting um to the hub of tourist Commerce in the uh in the area but you also connecting to the biggest um International uh Hub uh of the whole world you you can connect from Dubai to over 220 uh destination worldwide and that’s
Why uh along with uh with the Fantastic opportunity that the United Arab Emirates offers uh not only Dubai the whole country but we also offer people the ability to go beyond and that’s always have been part of our selling point in fly fantastic when you connect to a place
Have you um got evidence of how that leads to multipliers for the domestic tourism and business environment what is the connection between connecting through you and through other airlines lines to a new destination and the growth of their tourism uh and travel and business uh thereafter no I mean we have many
Example the one that pops in mind is for me Georgia because uh prior uh to uh to to Flying uh on Emirates sorry flying uh uh fly Dubai operating to uh uh to Georgia to the United Arab Emirates they were probably uh I would say 10,000 12,000 uh people uh traveling back and
Forth the moment that we started operating and now we have multiple flights and probably all the airline uh in the region actually operate to tabi I think the number the last time I looked of the people traveling which I don’t have with me right now but must
Have been in hundreds of thousands of of Travelers uh go to Georgia and come to Dubai and Georgia was a good example also because it was uh with the flights we connected to Dubai so we had business going up and down uh both ways but also there was an effort by government to
Reduced uh the Visa restriction for example you know in the United Arab Emirates uh a huge number of the population are people from different countries those people in order for them to travel freely to and from Dubai especially on short sectors because to Dubai is like
Three hours they they need to have a Visa we have a lots of people middle class from all over the world so the government in Georgia took an undertaking that allowed everybody who has a visa to the United Arab Emirates resident Visa can enter Georgia without
Without a Visa and that was a huge uh Tim there’s a huge jump in traffic because of that so that’s for me is an example of a fly Dubai destination that worked and connectivity created a huge uh business I know that the minister of Tourism who’s on the stage here
Listening very carefully to you uh and the Botswana government would be absolutely delighted if you were to choose um gaboni as a hub in this region uh an entry point not only to Botswana which is a magnificent uh tourism and travel destination and business destination but also of course uh very
Much part of the southern Africa what what would it take do you feel for you to form a decision uh to make gabonia hub I I think you know first of all we need to build uh of course the knowledge that we have you know Geral lus is a is a
Very good friend of mine great Ambassador for for your country and uh always uh try to build the information that we have as far as fly Dubai is concerned now with the ability of us to Flying longer sectors you know this becomes even more um attractive to to us
And um we are extremely interested in looking at the prospects of us operating and actually one of the motivation for for me to speak here was to try to broaden our engagements and try to create um uh a workable uh solution for the future for us to uh do more than U
And be part of the growth of your country I know that uh the Botswana government and we’ve heard it this morning already is deeply committed to the diversification of the economy uh away from diamonds to other sectors and clearly uh I’m sure would be very very
Uh engaged with you uh on this matter um as you think about uh your allocation of roots for for um the 30 Dreamliners uh the fact the country has an open Skies policy a very stable economic environment uh very safe place uh to visit um I’m sure these factors will
Will be part of your consideration uh going forward uh globally uh maybe just to finish what is your strategy you’ve come from nowhere uh to where you are over a 15-year period uh where where do you want to be in 5 years time well as we said you know we first
Of all we are very grateful uh to be uh operating out of the most Diversified region in the whole world United Arab Emirates Dubai is a is a a place where a lots of things are going on um many developments and more moreover the whole
Region that we are part of that is the uh the GCC and the greater area there’s a lot of development we see us continuing to to evolve and grow uh we currently operate um over 80 aircraft U leads I can see this number continue to grow and you know with the Dreamliner uh
Now we have the ability to go to even further places um it gives the airline a lots of ability to reach out to bigger markets and um throughout uh I think in the next few years you will see a huge growth for f duai as uh we take advantage uh of our
Previous success and the location and of course the continuous development in Dubai and the region around us congratulations on all you’ve achieved good luck uh in the future and I know the Botswana government would love to see you here uh in the near future thank you very much for your precious Time thank you Ian thank you Mr Alat from fly Dubai um well that was certainly very interesting there were lots of issues uh raised there including the Visas which which I hadn’t um taken into consideration but um let’s get back to the ministerial panel but can we set
The financial scene so um how does investment throw flow through Botswana to the rest of um the Africa region and what vehicles or infrastructure are we talking about could you talk me through this uh maybe Mr langang from the World Bank you could discuss and maybe
Minister Kang as well and then we’ll get back onto sustainability and resilience because I know we’ve got Minister Bartlett on the line as well and and Dr um RAF Rafi so um maybe we can hear from the World Bank First oh hello um no is is it turned on sorry
We what is it we’ve had a a moment to think deeply okay first of all you here okay we’re getting the the real microphone all right are you hear me oh yes are you actually here okay all right um no thanks very much first of all let me say um I really appreciate
Opportunity um from the world bank’s point of view where we are very bullish on the tourism sector in bosana um similar to my IFC colleague um both from the public and private sector side um we do believe um tourism is an important pillar of bwana’s
Economy uh is is 10% of GDP right so outside the mining sector this is really an important pillar and there’s really a lot of potential to make the pillar even larger even stronger even taller and that’s really our orientation of how we see the tourism sector um in bwana um so
What uh k your question is in terms of connectivity um what are the the ways that can make make Botswana um more more connected um my my Botswana friends always says you know instead of a landlocked country um batswana is a land linked country so that’s really the
Essence in short that’s the essence of um the the the the connectivity basis for for tourism um there’s a lot of things that can be done um there’s a lot of foundation that’s already been laid um if you go around in bwana you will see um the infrastructure is actually um
Quite quite good um compared to especially compared to some of other countries um a lot of the the historically a lot of the the revenues from the diamonds and other sectors have been in invested in infrastructure um whether you see in habon allsite um you
See the the the the the the roads are are are decent are fairly well maintained um you see lots of um um um people going road going uh drives uh in in in including in Kuda Kalahari right so the there there is foundation to be
Buil on in there of course the the road incture can be done better um there’s a lot of discussion around the around Railway um that’s really making the southern Africa more connected but the realway is more for Commodities rather than for tourism in many sense um there
Are lots of discussion on on air transportation um as we just heard from fly Dubai um indeed as as honor honorable Minister said um there’s a lot to be done um from the Work World Bank side um we have an ongoing engagement with air bana um to look at different
Options and to enhance the eff efficiency but also a a wider connectivity and on on in terms of Air Links in bwana but again there are lots of opportunities um both internal and external um a lot of the flights as many of you know um they fly directly from
Johannesburg um to to the north right so um I think that’s good and that brings tourism brings the comfort that honorable Minister was talking about um that tourism can get to some of touristy destinations in bwana but at the same time that also means the tourism doesn’t
Go through other parts of the country right tourism don’t go through habon touris tourism don’t go through other parts of the country also has other things to offer so I think that’s comes two points one is indeed um I think that’s the theme of the the the the summit U the product diversification
Right can we do other things and that attract tourism to spend more time in bwana and make a few more stops I think earlier this week uh honorable Minister and talked about um the the the tourism outside of the diamond coming out of the diamond industry um would there be
Opportunities there I’m sure they are um can we can we test a few ideas and make it work um the other point is also the links to the rest of the economy um that’s also an important point I’m sure the honorable Minister will talk about um it is about local beneficiation but
It’s also strike a right balance between attracting FD but also making sure your citizens benefit from the economic opportunities let me stop here thank you some some really good points there um raised leang um but can can we talk about the fiscal and non-fiscal incentives um and the the different
Industries that you’re targeting as well um I heard on the grap Vine that Will Smith was in Botswana early this year um perhaps you know there’s I know in um Canada there was lots of tax breaks for the film industry to film there is this something you’re thinking about as well
Of course of course yes actually it’s it’s very interesting one day I woke up and I heard that Will Smith is in the okavanga Delta obviously filming his own doing his own filming and I thought oh my God I can’t let him go because he’s he’s got something for us yes did you
Meet him yes I did 6 minutes and we made a deal what I said to him was we have a lot of young people our creatives young graduates who are unemployed who’ve got the skills who have the potential you know we have artistic people we have very rich creative you know talent in
Our young people then I said can you help us build them so that they can be the level of Hollywood they can also be you know mobilized and supported to make bwana films and they can feature in the global films bringing the BS story out there in our policy tourism policy we
Determined that we will use our local creatives to Market this country so Skilling them in branding in profiling Heritage culture in capturing our content and profiling it branding and selling it we have got latent potential in our youth he said Do you have do you have a filming school I can adopt that
School work with my people so I can take them go take them to Hollywood we can come here film I said to him we will give you the best landscapes for you to come and record your music your film if you imagine them having a set on top of
The color Harris Junes and the sunset is just happening or by the wildlife out there or by the CH River Sunset Cruise you know and all these things you do you know you know around our stars and stuff like that he was amazed he loved this destination but I said carry our people
Because skills development and training and building the potential of our young people especially you know will will help us deal with this joblessness poverty and lack of incomes and livelihoods for people who actually have so the investment you’re talking about is not just on you know infrastructure
And and and and physical spaces you know we also talking about investing in the skills and the talents of our young people we saw them sing can they live can they do content building through music like you see through dance through po through arts and crafts you will see
The arts and crafts out there so we can use it it’s very unique and I said we have the best valuable landscape and you know artistic talents that our people can tell the story through filming then we need the investment in upskilling so that they can be of global quality
Netflix quality oh that’s fantastic so that’s what we are trying to drive yeah I think that’s a great initiative and such good synergies and I love that you’ve brought in the local uh the young people coming up through the ranks in in the creative industry the film IND
Tested it if I may say h we developed a film in partnership with DBS and National Geographic it’s called Nashi the lives of the people around the okavanga Delta narrating that life how they preserved the okavanga Delta through their traditional practices and the young men there the old women there
Everybody doing the polling and telling the story about how they survived along that you know among that I mean in that area and and this is National Geographic so I told them then we need to do the kalahar we need to do the Eastern block T block and then also you know Urban
Livelihoods and stuff like that so we’ve already tested it it’s beautiful they narrate the story of the okavanga data and their lives in their language you’ll read the subtitle all right yeah so this is just how we want to promote our people doing it themselves by themselves
In the language that they know so much still in the culture so investment is how we can actually build on that yes that’s great investing in people as well but getting back to the film industry and and the celebrities um our virtual guests also have experience with that um
The Honorable U Minister Bartlett um Jamaica has had its brush with uh the film industry as well um is this something that you think is is key or could help um is this also part of the sustainability and resilience that you can add to your bow your tourism bow is Minister Bartlett
There yes thank you thank you so oh yes hello yes hello Min pleasure it is what a pleasure it is to share um with my sister filda and um the ministerial team as well as the panel of experts um my uh tourism father Professor Dr RI and of course uh the
Team from the itic uh LED of course by Gerald Lawless and um ibam uh my friend a wonderful uh discussion so far and um yes film and um storytelling is a big part of um our experience and J Jamaica has as one of the centers for for filming in this
Region uh we because also of the tremendous assets we have in some of our great U musicians and uh you know and singers Bob Marley himself who is regarded as one of the greatest uh singers that the world has seen uh we produced and gave to the world the regga
Music um uh genre and that has been a a huge source of global influence that has put Jamaica on the map internationally um we’ve had a whole stream of other International stars in this area but we also have created the the base and the the background so to
Speak for some of the great films like um the James Bond series um the last one of course was filmed right here in Jamaica uh the first one was also um and the uh stories were all written right here in Jamaica so we’re not unfamiliar with this I think the challenge with us
Is perhaps the challenge that U my sister Fila in but soana will be having is really to create an architecture that is going to be uh conducive to encouraging uh film making um by providing the kind of in infrastructure as well as the uh FIS arrangements to encourage this some of
The larger countries of the world have a greater capacity to offer more and um you know we we have to make sure that we can glean as much from it as we can but at the same time we have to recognize that there are deficiencies and we’re
Going to have to give a little more in order to get a little more so by way of um indicating to uh but so on a A Way Forward is that you’re going to have to do a little better than Jamaica you’re going to have to provide
A a a broader and perhaps you know a more attractive menu of incentives for Film Production so that um the impact for you is going to be the residual value you know of the promotion that the country will get the fact that you know the entire world would then be exposed
To your Rich flora and FAA to more importantly the value of your people people are the most important asset that you have and their creativity and you know their Innovation so we have to look at film uh production in in that context and to regard it as a huge investment
That we are making also in uh marketing and presenting our people and our cultures uh Minister Bartlett and um it also leads on to resilience and sustainability doesn’t it of of the destination um it’s one thing to bring in the film industry but you also have to um have that sustainability for your
Own people and and resilience um min oh yeah I’m sorry um I I want speak to resilience and sustainability in a different frame if you will but you you are right that um you know building capacity among your people to be able to respond uh you know
To these new uh Innovation and to give them a sense of of of being able to grow and to expand and to achieve a well-being from even non-traditional areas of activity so when difficulties come when Shocks come when disruptions come they they have several areas to
Fall back on and that they of their own ability to recover and to to thrive afterwards is not constrained by the fact that they are locked into a single Lane of Economic Development so I I’m I’m I’m seeing film the film industry as one other of those key areas um I heard
My colleague Minister f talking about diversification uh from let’s say the um the the Diamond industry that has dominated the economy over time it is in fact um a necessity but the good thing about tourism is that you don’t diversify away from us you diversify in order to expand and and grow tourism
Because people travel to fulfill their passions and they come to your destinations for the various things and the variety y of experiences that are provided by involvement in a whole range of economic and social activities so we’re excited about about that and definitely utilizing um the the the values of a
Film industry for example to build um sustainability and resilience that’s great thank you Minister Bartlet um and keeping on sustainability it’s not just the envir mment sustainability but you also mentioned social and economic sustainability and I know Dr Rafi this is something that you’re very passionate about how can this um help Botswana
Thank you very much am I heard okay yes okay the focus here is on sustainability if you read the title down there it says accelerating sustainability to through product diversity it’s a it’s a major thing as you said sustainability is not just about the environment it’s much more than that social economic
Sustainability and political sustainability so with the story I mentioned in the morning about the park that is outside of uh habon is uh an example of social economic sustainability because the people at the end of the day are what benefit from T tourism if the people don’t benefit from
Tourism there will be no sustainability that’s for sure because sustainability is is really the impact of of all of that on the people and political sustainability is also important here because Botswana which is a name that needs to be well known all over the world I think the
Film industry as we heard the minister and Minister Bartlet speak about it is one way of making sure that the the name batana becomes a very well-known name name they have a chance now to work on sustainability as they grow because growth is the name of the
Game now that’s for sure thank thank you very much yes definitely thank you um another country that’s had a a brush with celebrity I would say is Malo um do we do we have Minister Kem toil on on the line um you know maloi had Madonna um hi thank you for joining us
Hi um hi hi um were you able to leverage was there much investment that came out from Madonna’s I know Madonna definitely put maloi on the map didn’t she no she did uh can you hear me okay yes we can hear you okay no thank you very much uh for
For having me and thank you so much U honorable King uh minister of tourism in in in Botswana for having us but I think quickly just to say that yeah she did put Malawi on the map but but in terms of investment it’s really very difficult for me to articulate the kind of
Investment that she has brought to the country apart from the fact that now people were able to say where exactly is Malawi and it brought a lot of interest in in people I I remember someone saying that um when when when you ask people around the world if they know Malawi
Just say this is a country where madona adopted her kids but she has indeed invested in in in um Health there’s a a whole wing in in blant I think it’s it’s named after her one of her children the children that she adopted here in Malawi
It’s an amazing Place uh but also there was a school that she was supposed a girls school I think that she was supposed to have constructed but it hasn’t been constructed yet but I’ve heard a lot of people uh articulating the fact that it’s it’s a very a very
Good place especially for PE children under the age of five they get medical care there they have all the resources and all the equipment that is required and so we are very grateful uh for that kind of investment but I think there’s also U more room uh just not from her
But I think from her association with the country where we can now leverage that also in terms of uh tourism because what that does is that it it it puts her name synonymously with with us now she has three children from Malawi and I think she takes it upon herself every
Two years or so to come here so that the children can have an interface and also a connection with the country from where they come so I think that’s um it has done as well great um and how about Malawi and Botswana relations uh can we Market yourselves as a twin twin destination
Per se this I guess this brings back air connectivity as well is this something you’re talking about should I should I go first or or or the minister from bwana is coming okay let me let me start um I think you heard the minister of of of of
Bosana and and when she was articulating her challenges I I was smiling here I was saying that um it is uh she was saying that it is difficult to come to bwana and that’s the same situation that we find ourselves in in Malawi here when somebody comes to Malawi they’ve really
Wanted to come here because it’s extremely difficult to come here because we don’t have direct flights um we have to connect through either Johannesburg or uh Kenya Nairobi or usually it’s it’s ethopia but uh so it’s extremely difficult to get here and the interconnectivity issues are really hard
For me to get to bwana I have to pass through South Africa so it’s 2our flight to Johannesburg and then another I think one hour flight also uh to to to to to habon but I think it’s about destination marketing where we in the stic region
Have decided that we are not going to do predatory marketing that sets apart one destination ahead of another so we want to elevate bana to say oh you know if you want to go to Africa you have to go to Botswana because it’s the best you
Know we don’t want to do that as African States especially as s what we are saying is we want to enhance collaboration over and above issues of competition where we are leveraging on what is unique in each of those countries so we know that Botswana is
Big on landscapes is big on Wildlife she was talking about over 100,000 of elephants the best the the the the the the largest number of elephants in the world and but bwana doesn’t have like Malawi for example bwana doesn’t have have mang Mountain for example but if we
Come together to say we are we are marketing as a destination bwana and Mala we are connecting the private sector in bwana and the private sector in Malawi there there’s definitely more Avenues and more advantages and opportunities for us to leverage on what can be harnessed from the tourism sector
As a team rather than as competitors so we haven’t really because we don’t have an a memorandum of agreement with the Botswana government um and neither do we have a mission uh in bwana but we are both in sadic uh we are African States we are one there’s always room for us to
Negotiate and then connect our operators within between these two countries so that they can start working together but I’m happy to say that I am aware that our operators in in in Botswana have included Malawi as a destination so somebody comes in W Smith comes into
Botswana why can’t he go from bwana to South Africa and then South Africa Zimbabwe and then Malawi so that he has an higher African experience than just um experiencing one country very I like that that’s a very good point too oh yes I like that yes I like that whole southern
Africa um itinery that’s that’s I shall I be permitted to just step in for half a second on that because I think that’s the essence of what the this new post covid tourism is about particularly for um we the small um destinations of the world it’s about collaboration it’s a word that we’ve
Called now Co coopting rather than competing so we find Essence in collaborating and sharing and being able to Market ourselves together to offer multiple experiences and to enrich the um visit of our visitors in our space so here in the Caribbean for example multi-destination tourism is a big item
And we’re really moving towards that in a very serious way it enables um solutions to many issues that we have one of which is connectivity so that um a fly Dubai for example with their dream liner might find it um more effective and um efficient to fly into gon and
Then over to ma Malawi and and and to other places in in one um in one stop one one set of itinery and in that way um the visitors who are coming from Far areas like the Middle East and Beyond can have a multiple experiences for a
Single um trip and indeed with one price even attached to it so this is something that we we’re in Jamaica and the Caribbean would want to work with our African brothers and sisters on particular particularly those within that southern area of um of Africa so together we could U you know structure a
Multi-destination program that will build again resilience against um you know particular disruptions that may come at a later point so I’m very happy to hear that and I think it is a an increasing um appreciation on the part of a lot of us who are in the South and
Who are smaller destination that are less resourced but are able to provide great experiences for international tourism thank you for allowing me to intervene can can I just come in there moderator before before you give the the chance to the minister from bwan I wanted just to butress a point that the
The speaker from Jamaica The Honorable Minister from Jamaica has just articulated uh there where our issue there we are talking about investment in in bwana but I think we need we need to learn from from lessons that that are coming in now even from platforms like the African Continental free trade area
My argument there has always been to say we if if we continuously look at ourselves from as individuals it would be difficult for us to be to to to to realize anything from the from that Continental free trade area because then in the next 5 to 10 years the status quo
Is still going to be maintained because each one of us wants to work on their own bwana now has an investment Forum but I would like bwana now to look at how do we wo in investors is a block you know because there are things that bosana does very well there are things
That bosana has that are that are much much better than Malawi can ever do but when Malawi and bwana bwana and Zimbabwe or bwana and Zambia come together we are a bomb and so what we’re saying is we are continuously saying that Africa needs to start trading with with itself
Africa needs to look within itself and say because if covid-19 has taught us anything is the fact that we need to start looking from within where we have everything that we require even though we can build our capacities here and there but we have everything that we
Require for us to advance to the next level but if we do those things as individuals it would be very difficult so for example even the the the the the investment Forum we get an investor and we tell them look this is how we’re going to if you come here you have an
Opportunity to do this in Botswana but you can also do that in Malawi and then an investor is coming in not just to look at Botswana as a country but they’re looking at other three countries because that’s how it is when we’re looking about green Investments we’re talking about about not just the
Environment yes but we’re also talking about having a return on investment for the people that are bringing in the money so we need to look outside the box and start thinking about how are we looking at Investments why must somebody invest in bwana they need to invest in
Bwana not because of the incentives that are being given by the bwana government or the private sector in Botswana but in terms of also what other connectivity or connections or platforms that can be leveraged by your association with bosana as a country so I wanted to talk
About that we we’re saying we need now to re to reinvent the way we look at investment going forward I saw submit moderator and I do apologize for just jumping in there before you gave me a chance sorry very valid points that’s excellent and I do agree collaboration has really
Come out as as key these days and I feel tourists themselves want a more authentic experience and they’re looking to stay longer in a destination which could really work to your advant thank you very much she’s raising very important points and her points are not trying to say what we are doing isn’t
Right because you’re talking Botswana and you here we are in Botswana when we talk about destination Africa which is going to be built by the different blocks within the continent West African block east African block Central and then southern Africa we are building a continent from within and building from
Within we are amplifying what is unique about bwana what is unique about the Kaza the five countries what is unique within sadak and then how can we build other unique destinations this will bring and build brand Africa so I don’t think she’s saying or she’s trying to
Suggest that it’s not it’s it’s wrong in a way to talk bana what we are building from is an indiv an individual destination with its uniqueness which we are amplifying now and saying that we will start here because we see something unique here but you also understand
That’s why earlier IAL about the Kaza because within the Kaza you cannot come to kasani and not do Victoria Falls that’s why I’ve been talking to all these people talking about the Victoria Falls if you are in the Victoria Falls it’s only worth your your money to cross
Into kasani CH river boat cruise and CH National Park game drives so this is already happening what we are doing here is to try and formulate it in a framework to make it easy for the investors the to operators are already doing that you can’t sell cassan without
That we are also talking about building Regional packages where we you know the Liberation Trail you know for southern Africa the mandelas you know the the the the Malawi you know know samur shell starting from Malawi into South Africa they are root to where they were empowered for The Liberation struggle in
Tanzania so they stayed in Botswana they have been they came from South Africa they came from Malawi I mean I mean sorry mozambik and there’s connection with Malawi actually and and and they built this Trail so what we are thinking and talking about as ministers in the
Southern African region is to come up with all this you know Regional trails that we will Market as Consolidated packages so we talking bwana yes of course because there’s something about bana but once we start talking about means of investment then we’ll be able
To say but once you are here this is who we are connected to these are the packages that are already rolling that connect bana with other you know regions it also deals has to do with sustainability we are sharing natural resources I about the CH River and and
You know the kavango zamb you know trans froner Conservation Area so it helps us also to talk about how we will build you know sustainability and resilience of the natural you know ecosystem that you are protecting so we can’t talk about us alone but we start with where we are and
What we have and then it will connect later with others thank you yes that sounds like a wonderful Trail a historical Journey that that could be done that’s that’s brilliant um and I like brand southern Africa I think that’s that would be quite a strong brand that’s
That’s wonderful so let’s wrap up this panel discussion I just want to hear from everyone on on the panel um for but Botswana to become a hub in southern Africa what critical factors should be promoted so this is just to sum up um Minister Kang do you want to start what
Do you think thank you for bringing in fight Dubai the critical things that must happen as we drive to become a m destination is to deal with infrastructure Investments investment in facilities we don’t have enough hotels that can host such kind of events multiple regularly we struggle to meet
Up but we do deliver hotels conferencing facilities Airlines improve our airports we are diversifying into the Western regions where there’s no connectivity in terms of you know flights in terms of Railways and stuff like that so infrastructure investment is key to make bana a hub as well is to take our
Conservation story our Diamond story profile it and use it as a tool to attract people you buy that ring from Louis VOR know that it’s traceable to bana want to come here and then do your marriage here and then you do other activities once you are here so that
Connectivity in terms of what we have into tourism is key so investments in building profiling branding is quite critical for us but most importantly the infrastructure skills development as well where we can do training and upscale our people to be able to run you know profitable yet services that can
Provide the value of services and the quality also as we package our new tourism development areas and opportunities to be able to package the Heritage the history and use filming as well like like we have said you know all this composite things of building the profile of a destination branding
Packaging this is what we need to invest and of course also other value chains you know because talking sustainability we are talking about for instance the diamond industry it has its un uncertainties maybe Diamond then the next what the market will not be so right now we want to maximize the
Revenues from diamonds that’s why when we you know discussed and had dialogues with the be we made sure that we get you know a fair share from that a fair share so this F the diamond Development Fund will utilize now to catalyze other Industries manufacturing Agriculture and
Other you know activities that will help sustain in you know the industry of Tourism Beyond diamonds Beyond let’s say climate change affects our spaces we should be able to give tourists something you know in terms of our heritage something that you know cannot be destroyed so investing now in what
Will hold you know tourism Beyond diamonds and Beyond you know other fragile you know products is what we need to be talking about yes we have to be Forward Thinking don’t we um Dr Rafi what what do you think what uh some of the critical factors for Success that need to be promoted
Here one is connectivity air connectivity the other one is visas entry that should be made easy and I think batswana can do that because batswana is a very very open country and batswana can can fulfill these two two requirements very easily now Butana also the name is has to be known
So there must be a campaign there must be a campaign that would State the name of busana so everybody would talk about it connecting with other neighbors is a good idea but you need to be on your own when you promote yourself that’s very important yes thank you very much thank
You Dr Rafi and and what about you Lang what do you think are the some of the critical factors for Success here um I let me mention two points um first one I agree with the um honorable Minister connectivity is critical um I think there’s a there’s a very important
Element of harder infrastructure um that I’m saying harder includes roads but also air air connectivity and others um but I want to emphasize there’s a very important side of softare in infrastructure if I may put it that way um you know what you can’t change is your geography right your your your
Natural Advantage but what you can change is the ease of doing business you know how how how can you make it easier uh for foreign investors to come in including in the tour tourism sector but also hospitality and the hotels and other servicing sectors um I I agree
With the point of collaboration across the countries but I also think that that should motivate all the countries to try to do better to make each country a destination of for the ease of doing business I think that’s really critical and the is of doing doing business is
About Visa it is about skills it is also about how the decisions are made by different Ministries how easy it is for for investors to to get a get a decision that can enable them to come to a country to invest um so that’s that’s really uh the the softer side of
Infrastructure is really really important um finally I leave a point about um about the the impact of of climate change um I really think for countries like Botswana when your tourism is so much dependent on the environment uh on the nature um how do you adapt to a changing environment
That’s really really important um here you you you I don’t know if you noticed the minister is both minister of Tourism and the environment I think that’s really a good a good integration that really shows uh the tourism and environment really go hand in hand thank
You do we do we still have racky Phillips on the line I think he had to leave early I’m not sure if he’s still here no okay um so um Minister cam toule uh what are your opinions what are the critical factors what’s on The Hit List
That Botswana needs to become a hub in Southern Southern Africa no no thank thank you so much I think I think taking lessons from people that have have done it very well I think Rwanda inclusive and I think the the person that was just holding the floor mentioned the fact
That we need to make it deliberate for uh people to do business with with our countries and bwana specifically so the removal of of unnecessary bureaucracies for example I know that sometimes as government officials we want to do protect our countries and and all of
That but I think for me I I would rather let’s we need to be clever we need to build the capacities of our negotiators when people are coming to our country I think the problem comes in because we don’t have the skill to negotiate better dealss for our countries and so we
Operate from a a a perception of fear no we don’t want these people to come maybe they’re going to do this they’re going to give us a road and whatever I would rather we go in you know very cleverly and then if we put in a clause there
That says if if you don’t like what is happening then we can come out but because we are we bosana is natural endowed does all of these things but what’s the point of just keeping them to themselves when they cannot be developed so we would rather open up uh for
Investors to come in improve on the easiness of doing business so that people can come they can do Investments and we negotiate on the contracts if we don’t like something then we can bail out but we don’t want to tie ourselves to a 20 year agenda and then we are
Fading to come out and then the population is saying you uh put us to to to to on the line and then look we’re not leveraging from uh um the resources that we have and now this country is just ripping us off so the easiness of doing bus business is really very
Critical but also in terms of our product development um this is one of the things that we struggling with in my country as well where we’re talking about the lake a beautiful Lake Malawi it has over 1,000 speeches of water the largest number of speeches of water in
The world but that’s not a problem the issue is how are we developing that product selling it as that you know so bwana we need to come up with means and ways of ensuring that what is unique to us we are developing it developing it to
That level I was very happy when the minister was talking about their culture all these Villages that are doing all of these things we need to be to celebrate what is unique to us I have noted that as African countries sometimes we consider these things that we have about
Ourselves as as primitive but we don’t know that that’s a very thing why the very reason why people want to visit us and so we shouldn’t be ashamed of what we have who we are or where we are coming from those are products the point there is how do we develop them to
Become Now Products that people can be coming in to come and and and and and see those things in our country so that then we can boost our tourism the last thing that I want to say is maybe bana can also borrow a LIF from from Malawi we are seriously considering the issue
Of um the golden Visa where we we want to attract these high-end individuals who want to um invest in our country in areas of Agriculture tourism but also uh mining so we have a lot of incentives that are put in place there telling people that Malawi is open to to for for
Business you can come and invest in the tourism sector or in the agriculture sector in mega Farms or as well as in the mining sector you can build your house you can build your hotel you can do all of these things so probably maybe also that’s also one of the ways and
Means on how we can also attract because Geneva was was was built on on on incentives like these ones on the golden Visa issue where a lot of celebrities they have their houses there they or they owning property they and the country is booming so we need to look at
Tourism placing tourist placing tourism at the center of the structural transform transformation of bwana as a country when we do that everybody El all other sectors are going to support it and then Botswana is going to be on the on the path to economic emancipation and
I do wish you uh all the best thank you so very much indeed for having me thank you Minister and and finally Minister Bartlett um what what’s your opinion what are the critical factors needed for Success here thank you very much and um just permit me to really apologize to my
Sister uh filda for not being present in uh Botswana for this occasion and also for realizing our dream of establishing the resilience Center uh the tourism resilience Center in bosana at this time and to indicate that yes we will do it and um it’s just that my own political
Situation here didn’t allow us to leave at this time but um we will work with you for early um January or February date for 2024 to fully inaugurate the resilience Center having said that I believe that much has been given by our panelists in terms of good guidance you
Know for some young tourism destinations like Botswana and some of the key touch points that we need to uh you know wrap around as we think through the future but I want wanted to focus a bit if you will on human capital development because I think that is at the heart of
Our ability to drive experiential tourism um in in in my case in Jamaica for example where we don’t have too many natural resources our resource is the people and it is building the capacity of people to deliver higher quality service to enable greater levels of innovation to be able to be Co creative
And and to convert ideas and knowledge into material things that have value and and that can enrich the experiences of visitors people travel as I said earlier to fulfill their passions and these passions are varied there are so many and so our job is to build products
Around those passion points so to enable our people to have that knowledge and information to to be able to expand their Horizon of of of creative output is what’s going to enable first of all for us to be a destination that is attractive to individuals marketing is critical and um
Much has been said about that um but I think that marketing is not just utilizing you know the um media streams that are exist and to tell our story in in in in other people’s language and I agree totally with the minister from uh Malawi that uh the uniqueness of your
Destination is your strength and we must not be ashamed of our history and our heritage because that is our key point that enables the differentiation in a lot of instances between ourselves and other destinations and finally I think that the the the whole matter now of um
Product development uh from the point of view view of investing in attractions is very important to your destinations because again as I indicated earlier people travel to fulfill their passions investment in attractions is a huge part of enabling the retention of the tourism Dollar in your space and um we know that
Um much of the hardware required for tourism is from external investment lot of instances but what is the key is to enable the supply side of Tourism to be owned by us the people our food the food they eat the the the drink the services uh the Transportation uh all these key uh
Elements that enable them to have a great experience in your destination must be owned locally because that’s the essence of the wealth of Tourism and I close by saying then that the small and medium tourism Enterprises in your community are the huge drivers of this they own those experiences so we
Need to build their capacity to offer more to scale up their operation and also to be able for them to access Credit at good prices credit at good prices meaning loans that are you know affordable and give them an opportunity to expand their activities um I I’m
Delighted to share today with you I hope that the relationship between bwana and Jamaica um and the Caribbean in particular would expand and grow I look forward to uh having anou properly executed between us um Minister filder and that we will be able to share experiences um and of course you know
Sports is a big part of our partnership so um we in Jamaica will always be able to help in that regard to train the fast Runners that you need to have um you you you’re doing well with that but Jamaica is able to offer a little more and
Together I think we can continue to beat the world bless you all and thank you so much there’s so many issues we cover there air connectivity sustainability not only environmental sustainability but economic and social sustainability and resilience um ease of business is also a key factor which I think you you
Have the building blocks already um but uniqueness and authenticity I think that’s what Travelers really want and and you have that you you have that for sure so I I think you you have the human capital investment there so I think you’ve got great building blocks for
Brand southern Africa so I I wish you well thank you so much for having us and that was a great panel discussion [Applause] thank
Botswana leveraging on its strategic location to facilitate cooperation and investment in tourism in the region