THE Air Botswana's Durban-Gaborone route might soon become a busy route for the airline following a recent three-day tour of KwaZulu-Natal's tour operators, which proved eye-opening for the guests of the landlocked country.
The tour was put together by Air Botswana, the Botswana Tourism Organisation and KwaZulu-Natal Tourism and Film Authority to help KZN's tourism operators and KZN-based media understand the country better.
At an address during dinner with stakeholders held at Gaborone's Table50Two last week, Air Botswana's chief executive officer, Lulu Rasebotsa, explained how Durban's attractions and KZN's elite high schools drew the carrier to the city to decide on having direct flights between Gaborone and Durban three days a week.
The carrier quietly launched the direct route in December, between Durban's King Shaka International Airport and Gaborone's Sir Seretse Khama International Airport. It has attracted more than 2000 passengers since its launch, according to Air Botswana's head of public relations, communications and marketing, Malebogo Sesinyi. The direct flights run on Monday, Wednesday and Friday and follow a similar pattern and frequency of other new routes for the airline.
The tour kicked off with a boat cruise on the Chobe River, Kasane, in the Chobe District, which separates Botswana and Namibia. The western shore is Namibia, with the northeast being Zimbabwe, where the Zambezi River starts at the northern tip of the Zambezi Region (formerly Namibia's Caprivi Strip, a place that gained notoriety in South Africa for the then-defence force training of political hitmen).
Kasane is home to Chobe National Park, which is home to about 45,000 elephants and other wildlife like jackals, leopards, lions, different species of snakes, and birds, including Botswana's national bird, the African Fish Eagle.
From either the Chobe National Park or the Mowana Safari Resort and Spa, tourists can soak up the picturesque sunset over the Namibian villages that border the Chobe River.
Botswana is unique and an easy sell to tourists, as it has the largest population of elephants in Africa, currently estimated at 132 000 and has the world's only quadripoint, a geographical phenomenon where four countries meet at a single point. The country shares its southern border with South Africa, Namibia in the west, Zimbabwe in the east and Zambia in the northeast.
Of the choice of Durban for the direct route, Rasebotsa said: "It was just a natural fit. We are all, Botswana, South Africa, Lesotho, Bantu-speaking; I think when you look at the history back then, we all come from the same descendants. So when I look at it from a social context, I know many people who are married into families in Durban. On the flipside, I know many BaTswana who studied there (Durban) ended up finding partners there. So, socially and just on that aspect, people want to visit their families every now and then, but then again, there's a huge student community in KZN, especially of your high-end, affluent schools like Michaelhouse, Hilton, DSG Kloof (St Mary's Diocesan School for Girls), Treverton, etc.
"At a personal level, I know many parents who have students there who every now and then have to fly via Joburg. For high school students, you really prefer a direct route. Outside of just the school term, in between the terms, there's parents consultation, there's sport, there's this and that.
"So on any given four-month term, parents and kids can be in and out of Durban eight times. When you look at Durban as well, outside of India, Durban is the second largest populated place with Indian people. And I know here in Botswana we have a lot of Indians who are now BaTswana through citizenship. Obviously people gravitate towards their own, so I know that a lot of BaTswana or Indians who carry Botswana citizenship are highly invested in Durban. So these are the sort of people who own private jets, and we all know people with money prefer the most economical way. Since we introduced this route, I am finding more and more of them flying this route to go and look at their business ventures."
"When you look at how hot Botswana is, if you want to get a coastal experience, rather (go to) Durban than Cape Town. And I am not dumping Cape Town because Air Botswana does fly to Cape Town, but in this instance it's the most natural fit, as you are not concerned about cold weather, even throughout summer."
She said the silent pre-launches were panning out the way they had expected.
"I am looking forward to Easter. When you think about the fact that we have a flight on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday; Friday is a public holiday, you can fly in on Friday, come back on Sunday, rest on Easter Monday and go to work on Tuesday," said Rasebotsa.
She said maximising on holidays and the school terms will work for the airline, and she also touched on the possibility of cargo flights. The airline did a feasibility study, but it's still early days, and that's why for now they're sticking to just three days guided by statistics from global airline organisations, like the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
"Obviously the proof of the pudding is in the eating. It depends on how much we sell and how much we promote; hence, this exchange between the two, coupled with the facilitation by the tourism organisations of the two countries," said Rasebotsa.
The entourage got to enjoy Air Botswana's domestic routes between Gaborone and Francistown, where the Somali national soccer team that was trounced 2-0 by Botswana in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers disembarked on a flight that was en route to Kasane International Airport.
The flight from Kasane back to Gaborone had a stopover at the village town of Maun, which is also a tourist attraction for those headed to the world's biggest inland delta, the Okavango Delta, which was recognised by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) as a World Heritage Site, as the only delta that doesn't empty into the sea.
The Botswana trip was reciprocal, as KZN Tourism and Film Authority had also welcomed around 20 travel operators, Air Botswana, tourism officials, and media members for a reciprocal hosting event the previous week in March.
Pinky Radebe, who's the head of public relations and communications at KZN Tourism and Film, said: "We took great pleasure in welcoming guests to the Zulu Kingdom at Capital Zimbali, where they savoured authentic cuisine on Florida Road and set off on a rickshaw tour of the beachfront and the lively city of Durban."
The Botswana entourage also visited Ushaka Marine World and also enjoyed the South Coast on a safari in the George Game Reserve and Spa, the Oribi Gorge Swing and enjoyed an evening at San Lameer and savoured some of the finest cuisine on the South Coast during their stay at the Blue Marlin.
They also enjoyed horseback riding along the Wild Coast and shark cage diving at Rocky Bay.
Radebe believes the hosting improved the media and the tour operators' understanding of the destination, including the information provided through presentations and sample itineraries from other regions of KZN.
"As a landlocked country, Botswana often turns to Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, as a favoured destination for ocean experiences," said Radebe.
Many businesses accept South African currency but it's advisable to exchange to the local pula, which was 30cents stronger than the rand during this visit.