‘Constant leadership shakeups hamper tourism growth’
Larona Makhaiza | Tuesday March 26, 2024 06:00
CEO of the tourism body, Lily Rakorong highlighted how these changes have been a great impediment to the progress and growth of the sector during the key updates and insights by HATAB to the public. She singled out of the recent appointment of the new minister, Dumezwani Mthimkhulu, to replace Philda Kereng who has been named Botswana’s ambassador to Nigeria.
“The tourism industry in Botswana continues to grow and it is going in the right direction,” she said. “But I want to say we are dependent on the government facilitation though we are from the private sector and the new minister comes into a ministry that has directors that are not substantive, on an acting appointments.” She gave example of the Department of Tourism, Wildlife Environmental Affairs, Waste Management, Botswana Tourism Organisation (BTO) that continue to have leadership that is appointed on acting basis. “With BTO we have seen different acting appointees four of them in the last three years and they are still acting but this is a very critical component of driving the tourism industry and better it locally,” she added. Rakorong emphasized that these acting positions at the Tourism ministry do not do any good to the industry in Botswana as it hinders them to be innovative and reach pinnacle points in the sector.
“This of course makes chatting and focusing tourism slow and very painful as decision making processes can take too long especially when people are not sure of how and when to make the necessary decisions,” she said. Her wish is to see it through that the positions that are on acting basis are permanently occupied so that HATAB can work together with the government and ameliorate tourism industry and appeal it to the world.
“We therefore probably plea to the government to ensure that the ministry can actualize and substantiate cause they are very in driving the tourism sector especially that we come from COVID 19 where the market is very fierce,” she added. Meanwhile the CEO highlighted that HATAB will continue seeing through that it sells Botswana to the world.