Botswana’s top travel agency was recently honoured at Air Botswana’s inaugural awards ceremony
GOSEGO MOTSUMI
In a landmark celebration that put the spotlight on travel excellence, XL Skyways Travel was crowned the Number One Travel Operator in Botswana during the first-ever Air Botswana Travel Operators Performance Awards 2025.
Hosted in Gaborone last week, the awards were designed to honour agencies that fuel Botswana’s aviation growth and tourism ecosystem.
XL Skyways Travel clinched the top spot, lauded for its unwavering teamwork and exceptional customer service – a formula that continues to elevate the local travel industry.
The top 10
The rankings read like a Who’s Who of Botswana’s travel elite. Travel Trends secured second place while Vintage Travel & Tours landed third.
The other notable mentions in the top 10 were Skylink Travel, Harvey World Travel, Concorde Travel, Galaxy Travel, AT & T Travel & Tours, Travel Star, and First Class Travel.
The ceremony was both a celebration and a call to action, reinforcing the pivotal role that travel agencies play in driving Air Botswana’s success.
“Extension of Air Botswana”
Speaking at the awards, the CEO of Air Botswana, Lulu Rasebotsa, emphasised the symbiotic relationship between the national carrier and travel agents.
“For us at Air Botswana, travel agents are not just stakeholders – you are an extension of Air Botswana,” she said.
Rasebotsa acknowledged the agents as essential contributors to the airline’s continued existence, especially as the carrier concluded its financial year.
“Travel Agents bring in the numbers, and this is why we exist,” she said.
New routes
Regarding Air Botswana’s progress and ambitions, Rasebotsa spoke of the successful launch of new routes from Gaborone to Windhoek and Durban and increased frequencies on key existing routes.
“We are just waiting for you to come and see the two new aircrafts,” she said. “You’ll witness more value, improved scheduling integrity and performance.”
A forward-thinking leader, Rasebotsa revealed that Air Botswana will soon launch a Customer Focus Group, a taskforce devoted to mapping out every touchpoint in the customer journey.
Astute reps
“We want to leave no stone unturned,” she stated. With a 24-hour complaint escalation process and advanced online check-in, the airline is tailoring its services for today’s discerning traveller.
“Customers want gratification on their own terms,” she pointed out. “We are pushing hard to meet that expectation.”
Notably, Air Botswana has placed a customer representative in Cape Town. Fluent in Setswana and deeply aligned with the values of botho to attend to Botswana nationals abroad, the airline found the ideal rep.
Traffic volumes
Plans are in place to have representatives in Namibia, Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Durban (South Africa).
Presenting their performance analysis, Boikanyo Ntwaagae said traffic volumes in and out of Botswana increased by 5%, rising from 784,832 in 2024 to 827,269 in 2025. However, Air Botswana’s traffic volumes declined by 6%, pointing to a shift in market share to other carriers.
“Even though the numbers are increasing in volume, BP sales outlets did not match the growth,” he noted.
Superior sales share
From April 2024 to February 2025, travel agency sales hit P295 million, with Air Botswana’s share sitting at 49.8% while other offices contributed a combined 50.2%.
“This performance is what made it important for us to pause and celebrate,” Ntwaagae said.
The ceremony brought together industry leaders, special guests, and other stakeholders to celebrate Botswana’s travel industry achievements.