Botswana hopes to revive tourism sector as state of emergency ends

GABORONE, Sept. 22 — Botswana’s tourism sector will benefit from the ending of State of Emergency (SoE) at the end of September, said Oduetse Koboto, the country’s Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources Conservation and Tourism on Tuesday.
Koboto expressed optimism when different sectors of the economy prepare for changes as the SoE ends. He said they expect many tourists to start flocking to the country, especially the world famous Okavango Delta and Chobe region, which is home to abundant flora and fauna.
Botswana declared a State of Emergency in April 2020 that been extended twice and the government said it will not seek to extend the current SoE term when it ends on September 30.
Botswana’s tourism sector has suffered huge losses since the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 that resulted in prolonged movement restrictions between countries, according to Koboto.
“It has been evident that the SoE has also contributed to less tourists visiting the country even after lifting of movement restrictions as different other restrictions could be put within the country at any time,” said Koboto.
He said with the SoE ending, the tourism sector should prepare for an influx of tourists, which will boost the sector. Meanwhile he advised local tourism providers to maintain packages and rates to attract locals who have played a part in keeping the sector afloat since the start of the pandemic. (Xinhua)