An initiative by Batswana youth to sell Maun as a top tourist destination has received the thumbs up from various quarters, including the Minister of Wildlife and Tourism, Tshekedi Khama, the chairman of the Tourism Board, Victor Senye, Botswana Tourism CEO, Myra Sekgororoane, local celebrities, business owners as well as the community of Maun.
Dubbed ‘My Maun Experience’, the brainchild of a local company, Sixty3 Entertainment, in conjunction with D.O.C Entertainment, the initiative features a sequence of events, which include music festivals, game drives, scenic flights over the delta, as well as soccer matches by top local football giants, including Gaborone United, Township Rollers, Mochudi Centre Chiefs as well as BDF XI.
In an interview with Sunday Standard Lifestyle, Sixty 3 Entertainment Managing Director, Bissau Gaobakwe, said that they realised that, during holidays, many Batswana choose to travel outside the country to places such as Durban, Cape Town, Zimbabwe or Mozambique when they want to go on holiday.
“We have realized that tourists do come here but don’t really spend much time in Maun hence they don’t really benefit the people of Maun as they usually carry on straight to the delta,” observed Gaobakwe.
He added that it is in this light that his company decided to host an event that would sell Maun as a top tourist destination and encourage local tourists to visit one of the top tourist destinations in the world and benefit the community of Maun.
According to the organizers of the event, Minister Khama was so overwhelmed by the idea that he even made suggestions for hosting the next event.
“Minister Khama suggested that next time we should organize a soccer match between the Zebras and the Zambian national soccer team,” revealed Gaobakwe. “He also suggested we invite American reality TV stars, the Kardishians, and get them to air featured events on their television show back in the States.”
The initiative was also supported by top local and international celebrities, including Botswana soccer export to South Africa, Dipsy Selolwane, Olympic Medalist Amantle Montsho, Botswana Music awards’ winner, Vee wa Mampela, as well as South African music artists, Black Motion, Thebe and Mandoza, who all performed at Trekkers Night Club on different nights.
Gaobakwe said the whole experience was shot on video and final touch ups are being made to a DVD, which will be available online and is set to go on sale locally and internationally. He thanked Air Botswana who supported the initiative by reducing ticket prices for flights to Maun.
