Chobe leads listed companies

... as tourism rebounds on the market

Positive indicators are slowly returning to the tourism industry, after a two year hiatus punctuated with uncertainties. Botswana Stock Exchange’s ( BSE) latest market performance report issued this week indicates that tourism outfit, Chobe Holdings Limited has topped trading in the past two months. The latest bourse report highlighted the top three traded companies between January and February as Chobe at P48.2 million, Sefalana at P44.5 million and Letshego at P33.6 million. Last year, companies in the financial services sector dominated trading on the bourse, with Letshego leading the pack most of the times. According to BSE, the total turnover of the three top traded companies accounted for 80.5 percent of total equity turnover, with the leading counter, Chobe accounting for 30.7 percent of total equity turnover. “In comparison to the same period in 2021, the top three traded companies accounted for 69.7 percent of total equity turnover with the leading counter, Letshego accounting for 40.5 percent of total equity turnover,” said BSE in its latest market performance report. Statistics indicate that the largest counters gainers for 2021 were Letshego, SeedCo and Standard Chartered while the largest losers were Minergy, Chobe and Primetime in the property sector. On the backdrop of the positive start to the year Chobe has begun preparation of results for the year ended 28 February 2022, expected to continue until 31 May 2022 when the results are expected to be published. Meanwhile, tourism players are putting up building blocks in preparation for a rebound of the tourism industry, as represented by acquisitions and renovations on the market. Cresta Marakanelo is flexing its expansion arm and has announced entering into a lease agreement with Tora Properties for a new hotel development in Mahalpaye. Wilderness Safaris Botswana has also announced plans to reopen Vumbura Plains campsite in the Okavango Delta with new design elements showcasing the camp’s core purpose, while art installations highlight Vumbura’s heritage through individual stories on basket weaving, local traditional fishing techniques and the area’s phenomenal wildlife.