MAUN - The minister of Transport and Communications, Mr Frank Ramsden says the government has decided to revamp the national airline, Air Botswana, after previous attempts to privatise it hit a snag.

Currently government is looking around for aircrafts which can be bought to give the airline a new facelift, the minister told the Hospitality and Tourism Association of Botswana (HATAB) annual general meeting in Maun on Saturday.

According to Mr Ramsden, the government has decided not to privatise the airline, but rather to refurnish it.

As for the expansion of the Sir Seretse Khama International Airport, Mr Ramsden said the airport would be in operation during the first quarter of 2010 and noted that the government is also courting some airlines to divert their routes to Gaborone.

He however noted that the new route to Gaborone might come with challenges such as shortage of hotels and lodges to accommodate tourists coming to Botswana in large numbers.

The minister said the Maun airport would be in operation by the first quarter of 2012, saying the delay was caused by hassles before the construction could commence while the Francistown airport would be ready by June/July.

He further said the government has decided to construct nineteen airstrips around the country to ease burden from the air transport.

He, however, noted that the government would not populate the delta with airstrips.

On other issues, Mr Ramsden decried shortage of jet fuel storages in the country and said the solution would be to invite other suppliers to put their proposals forward.

For her part, the director of BOCCIM, Ms Maria Machailo-Ellis said the country had a leadership that was willing to assist and implored the tour operators to take advantage of that.

Ms Machailo-Ellis said the tourism sector had the ability to become the number one sector in the country in terms of brining revenue by 2020.

The managing director of Phakalane Estate, Mr Lesang Magang said the country had to make or break when it comes to economic diversification.

He said the reason there appeared to be shortage of accommodation in Gaborone was because there had been fewer customers, saying if the number of customers increased as a result of the new route to Gaborone, they would probably build more hotels and lodges.

The permanent secretary in the Ministry of Energy and Water Affairs, Mr Gabaake Gabaake asked the tour operators to adopt electricity saving measures as there would be a shortage next year and in 2011.

He said they could use energy saving bulbs or introduce the electricity control card system for lighting and air conditioning. BOPA