The newly formed Botswana Air Access has sent delegates to the Routes World Conference in the Kingdom of Bahrain – the largest air connectivity-focused event in the world –to engage with carriers about potential new routes to Botswana and build relationships with key global aviation stakeholders and entities.

To capitalise on opportunities at the event, Botswana Air Access is hosting an official stand showcasing Botswana as a destination and introducing attendees to the country’s aviation, tourism, trade and investment potential.

The delegates will attend more than 10 strategic meetings with high-potential airlines. For maximum impact, they will present bespoke business cases to the airlines’ network planning teams – highlighting Botswana's rising potential with passenger data, tourism statistics and economic outputs.

“Hosting a stand at Routes World represents the next significant milestone for the Botswana Air Access project. This is a major opportunity to showcase Botswana’s potential to influential aviation decision makers and advance strategic discussions with target airlines,” said Dr Bao Mosinyi, Chief Executive Officer of the Civil Aviation Authority Botswana (CAAB).

Keitumetse Setlang, CEO of Botswana Tourism Organisation, agreed. “Improving regional and international air connectivity is critical to growing Botswana’s tourism potential. Building connections to major unserved markets will reduce costs and lengthen stays, enabling tourists to maximise their experience of Botswana’s unparalleled tourism potential.”

Botswana Air Access, established in August 2024 and spearheaded by the CAAB, is a collaborative air service development initiative with a mandate to increase international connectivity to the country.

Project stakeholders include BTO, Botswana Investment and Trade Centre, Business Botswana, Travel Agent’s Association of Botswana and the Hospitality and Tourism Association of Botswana.