It has been two months now since Survival International took its war with Botswana government to another level by launching an international call for boycott of the country’s tourism during the World Tourism Day.
The campaign was renewed when it sponsored protestors to match last week’s premier World Travel Market (WTM) in London.
These two events and many others are seen by SI as crucial in the calendar of the travel and tourism market. And they are.
To SI this is Public Relations at its finest.
They are targeting a premier world tourism event, where operators, tourism investors and opion leaders meet to make deals.
For SI the intention and indeed timing is as ever to drive the message home to where it matters most. We are told that since Survival launched its boycott in September, thousands of travelers have pledged not to visit Botswana until the government upholds the Basarwa’s right to freely access the Central Kalahari Game Reserve.
But as always, Botswana government led by its spin doctor Dr Jeff Ramsay has dismissed the boycott as an event which will pass. Government’s attitude is that what Survival is doing is nothing new and there has been little success in the previous boycotts of this nature citing an example of little success of call to boycott the country’s diamonds.
We think this comparison is as false as it is disingenuous.
The reason why diamond boycott was less effective is mainly because President Festus Mogae took it upon himself by countering the SI offensive, chiefly by visoing European and American capitals to explain Botswana’s case.
We do not see that happening today
“The motive behind the campaign by Survival is well known in that they are simply motivated by the funds they raise from unsuspecting donors. It is clear to us, and others who have followed this issue, that no amount of reasoning and, or fact, will move Survival International on this matter for as long as they stand to benefit monetarily from the donations they get from unsuspecting donor,” Presidential Affairs and Public Administration, Mokgweetsi Masisi said in 2010.
But government should understand that times have changed. Circumstances are not the same as they were when Survival started these campaigns. The media landscape has changed as new forms of communication including social media networks are more powerful than the traditional media.
Government has to change its line and attitude not to underestimate Survival’s campaigns especially since they come at a time when Botswana is losing its shine as a competitive investment destination.
The country has attracted bad press following the rise in numbers of foreigners who are being deported, which in itself paints a negative image for a country that was once seen as model for the rest of the continent.
We are worried that going forward those who have been deported from the country will club together and team up with Survival International and paint the country in a bad light including high profile individuals like Basarwa lawyer, Gordon Bennett, who have access to the international media.
Already, the decision to classify Bennett as someone who needs a visa to come to Botswana has angered the United Kingdom, the country which Botswana has historical and economic ties. UK is also one of the traditional markets for Botswana tourism.
Tourism itself is a major foreign exchange earner to Botswana as most of the tourists that come here are top end ones from well off nations like the United States of America, Europe and those that want to experience nature peacefully. That is why they chose Botswana to other countries; peace and tranquility. But as a standoff between government and Survival drags on for a long time and see stories circulating on the internet about the plight of Basarwa, it will in the long run hurt the tourism sector.
Chris McIntyre, the author of the latest Bradt guidebook to Botswana summarizes it well: “Over the years neither of them seems able to help reach a really fair and pragmatic solution which will help the day-to-day life of the poor people involved,” he said. “It’s a real failure for both.”
Already, some tour operators have cancelled their clients’ itinerary to Botswana after buying the Survival story. Horizonte Paralelo, the Spanish travel agency is one of those that confirmed cancelling trips by its clients to Botswana saying they are against the harassment of the Basarwa. Surely, Survival’s “disinformation and blackmail” maybe beginning to work if Horizonte Paralelo and Annie Bulmer Travel can join in the boycott.
Botswana cannot afford to have negative publicity at a time when it has committed itself to the relocation of De Beers’ London sales roles to Gaborone. It will be devastating for the negative publicity to go on especially when many in the Western world are worried about Botswana’s capability to host diamond trading of that magnitude.
Thankfully, Botswana Tourism Oganisation (BTO), which has the mandate to market the country’s tourism product abroad has come to its senses and admitted that the campaign is not good for the country.
