Botswana’s travel and tourism economy grew 3,4 percent to exceed USD2,5 billion in 2018, and now contributes nearly one in every seven dollars in the country’s economy, according to the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) annual review of the economic impact and social importance of the sector.
The WTTC research which compares the travel and tourism sector across 185 countries, shows that in 2018 the Botswana travel and tourism sector:
• Grew at 3,4 percent, just nudging above the Sub-Saharan African average of 3,3 percent
• Contributed USD2,52 billion to the country’s economy. This represents 13,4 percent of all economic impact in Botswana or nearly one in every seven dollars in the economy
• Supported 84,000 jobs, or 8,9 percent of total employment
• Was primarily driven by leisure travellers: 96 percent of the travel and tourism spending in the economy was generated by leisure visitors and just 4% from business travellers
• Is strongly weighted towards international travel: 73 percent of spending came from international travelers and 27 percent from domestic travel
Commenting on the numbers, Gloria Guevara, CEO, WTTC, said, “Botswana is a jewel in the crown of Sub-Saharan Africa’s travel and tourism sector. It is home to some of the most iconic tourism sites in Africa, such as the Okavango Delta, Chobe National Park and the Central Kalahari Game Reserve.”
Source: traveltradeweekly.travel
