The unifying body of Botswana’s tourism industry, the Hospitality and Tourism Association of Botswana (HATAB) has called on the government to hasten up the support of the tourism sector through the proposed stimulus Voyagesafriq reports.
According to the recent statistics, Botswana just as other countries of the world has had its fair share of the negative impact of COVID 19 with the tourism sector negatively affected.
The tourism group are of the view that without governments quick intervention, the fortunes and future of the country’s tourism may suffer greatly.
HATAB had submitted a COVID-19 Relief proposal to Government with most of it adopted into the National Economic Response announced on the April 2, to mitigate the negative economic impacts of the pandemic.
The CEO of HATAB Lily Rakorong while speaking with voyagesafriq said, the organisation through its parent body the Chamber of Commerce of Botswana is awaiting a feedback on the submitted proposal.
‘’We are currently working on the Stimulus Package proposal through Business Botswana and as soon as the draft is adopted, we will share with you.
“Of course Tourism has been greatly affected and it is very important that it is provided with the necessary attention and interventions in order for it to bounce back, and most importantly to protect businesses as well as saving jobs’’ she added.
Rakorong has sought for the relief package not to just help with the recovery process but also serve as long term stability for the country’s tourism sector
According to reports the travel and tourism sector contributes 13.4% Botswana’s GDP.
The country according to google sources is a landlocked in Southern Africa, has a landscape defined by the Kalahari Desert and the Okavango Delta, which becomes a lush animal habitat during the seasonal floods. The massive Central Kalahari Game Reserve, with its fossilized river valleys and undulating grasslands, is home to numerous animals including giraffes, cheetahs, hyenas and wild dogs.
By Francis Ogwo
Source: voyageafriq.com
