By Seleoe Nonyane
Lesotho will in October host a three-day Women in Tourism Southern African Summit 2023 in Maseru.
The summit will bring key tourism stakeholders together to discuss how to create a conducive environment for developing women and youth in tourism.
It is also aimed at creating opportunities for businesses in the sector’s value chain such as showcasing their products and services.
The meeting is expected to give participants a platform to discuss current and future trends that will contribute towards the sustainability of the tourism sector.
The platform recognises women and other stakeholders for the role they play in regional tourism through annual awards, and to create awareness on the SADC industrialisation programme with specific focus on women in the region.
The summit will feature a wide array of inspiring speakers and, through a mix of presentations and panel discussions, mentoring and organised interactions, will address some critical questions.
Topics include how to grow businesses, Boundless Africa – which is a session on the One Africa Visa idea for tourism- , investment opportunities available in Lesotho and many more.
Women in Tourism Lesotho Association (WITLA) president Matṧeliso Mokuoane this week said the summit is anticipated to host between 250 to 350 delegates from women in business, local and international buyers, exhibitors, and many others. It will run from 18 October.
Mokuoane said as the business community, they will be able to forge strategic trading partnerships, meet up with investors, and form collaborations that will contribute to the region’s economic growth.
“In April 2023, Lesotho through WITLA placed a bid to host an annual event themed Women in Tourism Southern Africa (WITSA) Summit and Expo 2023.
“It is worth mentioning that WITSA competed with all SADC Countries in hosting this second annual regional event, and the winning country is Lesotho,” she said.
WITLA is a woman owned association that was established in August 2022, and legally registered in February 2023 under the Societies Act of Lesotho.
The association has over 200 members who are women owning and operating businesses in all tourism sub-sectors within Lesotho’s 10 districts.
Its overall objective is to form lasting partnerships, affiliations and/or memberships with other regional and international women in tourism associations or societies for increased economic growth of our country and the region.
For his part, the Lesotho Tourism Development Corporation (LTDC) acting chief executive officer, Tebello Thoola, said regional summits and international conferences present invaluable opportunities for Lesotho to be a preferred destination for the MICE sector.
He noted that LTDC rallies behind private sector efforts to host tourism summits like the WITSA Conference.
He indicated that the tourism industry of Lesotho is largely driven by women.
“The event will ensure that it uplifts Basotho women by giving them a platform to promote and transact their business, expose them to available business opportunities that they can utilise,” he said.
Moreover, he added, the summit is going to play a big role in achieving the milestone of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) especially SDG 5 of gender equality.
By bringing together key stakeholders, sharing knowledge, and fostering collaboration, the conference aims to create a roadmap for a more inclusive, diverse, and prosperous tourism sector where women can thrive, Thoola pointed out.
