Botswana Lays Focus on Tourism Development

May 9, 2025

(3 Minutes Read)

The HATAB conference was held from April 24-25 under the theme “Botswana Tourism, what are the conditions for growth?”

Speaking at the just-ended Hospitality and Tourism Association of Botswana (HATAB) annual conference in Maun last Thursday, President Adv. Duma Boko questioned why Maun has not yet been declared a city.

Often described as a gateway to one of the world’s heritage sites, the Okavango Delta, Maun is Botswana’s second largest village after Mogoditshane in the greater Gaborone. Home to numerous Safari and air charter operators, Maun’s population was recorded at 85,293 in the 2002 census, a number that has surged since.

Maun has, since 1995, been declared a planning area, and the village’s Development plan of 2021-2041 envisioned to turn Maun into a green city.

In March 2021, the Northwest District Council, through its Physical Planning, Housing and Estate Department, drafted the development plan, emphasising environmental preservation while boosting infrastructure.

The HATAB conference was held from April 24-25 under the theme “Botswana Tourism, what are the conditions for growth?”