Key Insights from Botswana’s 2026 Tourism Pitso

Congratulations to the Republic of Botswana on the successful hosting of an important tourism stakeholders’ consultative platform. Last convened in 2013, the revival of the Tourism Pitso was widely welcomed as a significant milestone for the country’s tourism sector.

The 2026 Tourism Pitso, held from 22–23 January 2026, was officially opened by the Vice President and Minister of Finance of the Republic of Botswana, His Honour Ndaba Nkosinathi Gaolathe.

Held under the theme “Tourism as a Catalyst for Economic Transformation and Economic Growth through Partnerships,” the Pitso served as a strategic platform for dialogue on the role of tourism within Botswana’s broader national development agenda.

In his opening remarks, the Vice President noted the timeliness of the Pitso in the context of shifts in the national economy, evolving global travel trends, and the growing expectations of communities co‑existing with wildlife and the country’s tourism assets.

Expectations for the tourism sector to contribute more significantly to national GDP and employment creation remain high. This is particularly in light of continued declines in diamond revenues, which is placing considerable strain on the national fiscus. These pressures underscore the urgency of diversifying revenue sources and strengthening other sectors to support long‑term fiscal stability.

Against this backdrop, Day 2 of the Pitso focused on local action, policy alignment, and sectoral collaboration, setting a practical and forward‑looking agenda.

The programme featured two key scene‑setting presentations:
– Tourism Intelligence – Data Systems for Sustainable Sector Transformation
– Tourism Statistics Dashboard

In his presentation, Mr. Lopang Pule, Director of Tourism, highlighted critical gaps in the country’s tourism data and emphasized the urgent need to transform the tourism data ecosystem through cross‑sectoral collaboration. He underscored that reliable, timely, and integrated data is fundamental to evidence‑based planning and sustainable tourism development.

The second presentation, delivered by Mr. Kenneth Setimela, Consultant engaged by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), showcased an ongoing project aimed at improving the collection, integration, and use of tourism data to inform policy formulation and decision‑making. Central to this initiative is the promotion of data integration and the application of the Tourism Satellite Account (TSA) framework to generate relevant, near real‑time tourism statistics. The TSA was initially developed in 2018 with financial support from the Federal Republic of Germany through the KAZA TFCA. The anticipated outcome is an integrated Tourism Statistics Dashboard to strengthen data‑driven decision‑making across the tourism value chain.

In a follow‑up submission, Botswana’s Statistician General, Dr. Khaufelo Lekobane, reinforced the call for high‑quality tourism data – acknowledging the Tourism Pitso as a unique opportunity to drive cross‑sectoral policy alignment, enhance collaboration, and leverage data more effectively. He further called for increased investment in data generation, management, and analytics to ensure the tourism sector is well positioned to contribute meaningfully to national development goals.

Thereafter, the programme proceeded with reflections from the heads of Botswana’s main tourism bodies—the Hospitality and Tourism Association of Botswana (HATAB), the Botswana Guides Association (BOGA), the Travel Agents Association of Botswana (TAABOT), and the Botswana Guesthouse Association— shared private-sector perspectives on the state and future of the industry.

The remainder of the day was conducted in open plenary, providing stakeholders with a valuable opportunity to express their views and engage directly with policymakers and decision‑makers.

Participants raised several key concerns affecting both the tourism and conservation sectors. These included tourism revenue leakages; governance challenges within community‑based natural resource management (CBNRM) structures and community conservation trusts; and emerging implications of the new CBNRM Act alongside the anticipated Tourism Policy. Additional issues highlighted included bottlenecks in tourism business registration and regulation, challenges within the aviation industry, the need to diversify Botswana’s tourism offerings beyond traditional products, security concerns and opportunities offered by public-private-partnerships.

Overall, deliberations underscored the need for a deliberate policy shift towards leveraging tourism not only as a revenue‑generating sector, but as a structural driver of economic diversification, inclusive job creation, and community empowerment. The strong emphasis on partnerships reflected a shared recognition that sustainable growth in the sector depends on coordinated collaboration among government, the private sector, and local communities to maximize value chain participation and long‑term socio‑economic impact.