For many years now economic diversification has become a mantra adopted by Botswana Government as the pitfalls of an overreliance on minerals, chiefly diamonds becomes more and more clear.
The Government has so far spent a fortune in its efforts at diversifying the economy from diamonds ÔÇô and with very little to show for it.
Economic data indicates that some other sectors like manufacturing and services were very much on course towards making a more meaningful contribution to Botswana’s GDP were it not of the world economic crisis that reached its apex in 2008, and from which we are still to fully recover.
On the manufacturing sector, the growth was mainly on the back of the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), a law which was sponsored by the United States government giving such countries like Botswana a quota free access to the lucrative American market.
Up until the crisis referred to above, it was looking very much likely that manufacturing, especially the textile industry, had the potential to make a much anticipated breakthrough that had hitherto not been possible.
Sadly, the economic crisis, which had America as one of its biggest casualties put paid to such a march by Botswana’s textile growth.
It has always been our opinion that the services sector was one that held the greatest promise for Botswana.
This is for a number of reasons, chief of which is that Botswana has a relatively educated population that is well versed in technology, who can also communicate in English, which is one of the world largest mediums of communication in business. Language and technology are key ingredients in today’s services sectors.
Botswana’s manufacturing sector faces the limitations of a small domestic market, high transport costs and immense competition from countries in Asia whose productive levels are very high with labour costs almost zero.
Thus we have come to a conclusion that one area that we have to look more into for future economic growth is domestic tourism.
It is almost a truism in Botswana that when we speak of tourists we are referring to people coming from outside the country, especially Europe and the United States.
While there is nothing wrong with the Europeans and Americans paying their much welcome, and hard earned Dollars to visit Botswana, the truth of the matter is that in other countries it is the locals who are at the forefront when it comes to tourism.
Very few Batswana know their country very well.
Even fewer know the areas that attract so many of the Europeans and Americans to our shores.
Among others, these areas include the Okavango, the Chobe, Makgadikgadi, Tuli and the Tsodilo.
Given that only a handful of Americans and Europeans come here for these areas, and almost no citizens visit the said areas, just imagine the huge potential our tourism would raise if, say, just a quarter of Batswana were every year able to join the Americans and Europeans in visiting our scenic tourist attractions.
The amount of money would be enormous.
We thus call on Botswana Tourism Organization to increase their efforts to grow domestic tourism.
In fact, domestic tourism would become handier in today’s world economic climate where our traditional visitors do not have any disposable income to allow them to visit.
We need not look far for a market.
It is here in our backyard.
What’s more, many Batswana are still to really discover their country; all they need is a little nudging from such an organization as BTO.
