23 April 2026
Botswana’s Ministry of Environment and Tourism, in collaboration with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), launched a Tourism Statistics Dashboard on 13 April, aimed at strengthening the country’s tourism data infrastructure.
The platform is designed to track visitor trends, measure sectoral performance, and integrate tourism data into national accounts to better quantify the industry’s contribution to GDP, employment, investment, and community development.
Minister of Environment and Tourism Wynter Mmolotsi said the dashboard aligns with the upcoming National Development Plan 12 and the Botswana Economic Transformation Programme, both of which emphasise evidence-based policy and economic diversification.
The dashboard will monitor key indicators including visitor arrivals, average length of stay, and tourism expenditure, providing government and industry stakeholders with clearer insight into market trends and seasonal patterns.
Japanese Ambassador Shindo Yusuke noted that achieving Botswana’s targets for increased international arrivals and tourism revenue would require stronger data systems alongside broader product diversification. JICA representative Hiroyasu Tonokawa acknowledged that the project remains at an early stage and that ongoing work will be needed to improve data collection, quality, and system usability. He called on policymakers, private sector operators, and researchers to actively engage with the platform as it develops.
Source: Daily News Botswana – Source: https://shorturl.at/X5dbP
