Content Team 
The Botswana Tourism Investment Summit will take place in Gaborone, Botswana, from November 22–24, 2023. The summit’s goal is to highlight the country’s significant potential as well as undiscovered tourism and investment opportunities. The Summit, organized by International Tourism Investment Corporation Ltd. in collaboration with the Botswana Tourism Organisation (BTO) Summit, is expected to act as a catalyst for unlocking investment opportunities for Botswana, which remains a relatively unexplored tourist region.
Botswana has been aggressively transitioning to a new stage of economic growth in recent years. The country is located in the center of Southern Africa as a gateway to South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Namibia, as well as a conduit for investors to do business with the rest of the region. A conducive environment will be created to accelerate the effect of foreign investment and tourism within Botswana, which has emerged as the future engine of growth and is Africa’s longest-surviving democracy since independence, with a stable and thriving economy,” according to the statement.
Speaking ahead of the summit, Hon. Philda Nani Kereng, Botswana’s Minister of Environment and Tourism, stated, “Botswana opens its doors to international sustainable investment opportunities that, till now, have been relatively untapped. Our mission is to provoke new thinking and explore new opportunities and financial mechanisms for sustainable investments in travel, tourism business. We are honoured to host the Botswana Tourism Investment Summit organized by ITIC with a landscape like no other. We strongly encourage policymakers and investors not to underestimate the potential of one of the most beautiful countries in Africa. Rated Africa’s best safari destination 2023, the Summit propels investments towards building Botswana as a destination of choice for business”.
The Botswana Tourism Investment Summit and Exhibition will bring together 300–400 tourism and financial services CEOs and business leaders for an unrivaled blend of thought-provoking discussions and exceptional networking opportunities. This will bring together international leaders and project developers in the tourism, travel, and hospitality sectors, as well as investors from private equity firms, investment banks, institutional investors, fund managers, and influencers, all of whom have the ability to channel capital and raise funds for sustainable tourism projects.
The summit will include some of the greatest professionals exploring current trends and discussing the future of Botswana’s tourism sector. Indira Campos, interim Country Manager for Botswana at IFC International Finance Corporation, stated, “Tourism is a key enabling sector in Botswana with high potential for growth and can help create jobs, reduce inequality, and contribute to diversifying the economy. IFC is committed to supporting efforts to further develop Botswana’s tourism sector by attracting private investment into lodges and other tourism-related infrastructure, including transport, hotels, camp and caravan sites, and food and hospitality services.”
The IFC, a World Bank member, fosters private sector growth in emerging nations, and its work in the tourist industry is an important component of that goal. IFC provides finance and consulting services to firms in this sector in order to help them expand and generate employment, as well as to promote sustainable and inclusive economic growth.
Furthermore, Dr. Taleb Rifai, Chairman of ITIC and former Secretary General of the United Nations World Tourism Organization, stated, We are delighted that Botswana has been recognised for the vast investment potential available to potential stakeholders. The country’s financial and capital markets are among the most sophisticated in Africa, and our summit provides the opportune platform to drive international awareness and further investment into Botswana and act as a catalyst for growth”.
