FOR THE LOVE OF TRAVEL
See the world with Nature Lovers
Considering her impressive, varied business background, it’s hard to believe Koketso Humu only turned 33 last month.
With a business consultancy company already to her name, Humu opened a second venture, Nature Lovers Travel Tours & Safari in 2020.
Although Covid-19 hit soon after, bringing travel and tourism to a virtual standstill for almost 18 months, the business survived.
It now boasts offices in both Palapye and Maun, with Humu looking to make her mark in Sports Tourism as she strives to take her business to new heights.
Kindly introduce yourself?
I am a 33-year-old aspiring millionaire born and raised in Mmathubudukwane village in Kgatleng District. I studied for a Certificate in Business and Information Technology at NITT University in 2009 (Botho College).
Take us through your career path before you started this company?
After studying at Botho College, I started working at Expo Botswana as a promoter. From there, I was employed by Child Development Centre Preschool at Mogoditshane, working as an assistant teacher. After six months, I was chased from work because I wasn’t delivering; teaching was not my thing!
From here, I was employed by JVG Business Advisory Services as an office assistant/company secretary doing company registrations, business planning, taxation, business consulting and accounting just to mention a few. I enjoyed the business consulting area and I worked with them for five years. When the agency closed, I opened my own agency called Bin & Onk Consultancy Agency specialising in the same services that we were offering at my previous job.
That’s quite a thick profile…
Running Bin & Onk Consultancy Agency was not easy at all! I had to start doing outdoor marketing and distribution of my business flyers. It took two years of hard marketing; after that, my agency survived. In order to be a qualified company secretary, I applied for my practising certificate at Association of Business Consultants of Botswana.
So, how did Nature Lovers Travel Tours & Safari come about?
Because of the passion on I have developed in business ess consulting and advisory, y, I found it fit to establish another consulting business called Nature Lovers Travel Tours & Safari specialising in travel consultation. Additionally, I have always loved travelling!
Nature Lovers was reggistered in 2020 before Covid- - 19 surfaced as a new business that I made in order to have more income streams because the business consulting field is not profitable ever since online systems of PPADB, BURS and CIPA came into the picture.
Take us through the services you offer?
Nature Lovers Travel Tours & Safari offer customised solutions: we get to know you and your business and ensure you are travelling in the most efficient and sensible way. You’ll not only receive the best value but also the flexibility you need.
The individual/family traveller team is the best in the business. Our flexible business model is shaped to match the distinctive needs of individuals/families, enabling us to better understand your travel requirements, offer tailored solutions and build long-term partnerships.
As a business travel customer, our consultants will review travel patterns and discuss opportunities to deliver cost savings across airlines, hotels and car rentals. Other services include: travel consultation, trip advisor, travel insurance, package tours, accommodation bookings, boat cruises, guided tours, transport services, visa assist, ticket booking and sports tourism.
How is the company doing?
Our big plans are changing the tourism landscape of our country which in the past only focused on leisure tourism. Even though the company was registered at a bad timing of the Covid era, the company started full operation in the year 2021. We managed to secure trips of about 100 people and some of our clients were non-residents staying in Botswana; coming from Madagascar, Pakistan and India. The company is currently doing well even though it’s new to this industry.
And how have locals reacted to the business?
We all know that Batswana are not n used to travelling but nowadays now they have realised that th travel is therapy, so they t have embraced our services with open arms. Also, we prepare or package tours or trips and we also travel with them or guide g the tours; their only duty du is to pack their bags, follow follo the lead and enjoy the trips!
So, what challenges chal does the business face?
Nature Lovers Travel Tours & Safari does not have its own vehicles. We are currently hiring - some transport operators charge us high pricing so that we end up making a loss. Also, some operators sabotage us; they agree with you then change later!
What does the future hold for Nature Lovers?
We intend to focus on sport event tourism in the future because research shows that, in our country, we have been focusing on leisure tourism and business travel only.
What difference have you made in the tourism sector?
Nature Lovers Travel Tours & Safari is more like travel concierge. When you work with us, you have the comfort of knowing that if something goes wrong, you have someone to contact before, during and after your vacation while a travel agent is a sales person who sells only certain cruise line, hotel or vacation packages.
Our main focus is sport tourism. We will be doing more events that promote sports tourism and packages because we have realised a lot of people cannot afford to travel due to the high cost of living. We will be working with sporting teams to promote the packages that we have - so we are saying one should buy a ticket for our events and stand a chance to win a fully paid trip to any place that we have chosen.
Does your company promote local tourism?
We have been visiting local hotels, parks, gorges and other tourism attractions profiling those places - we even have agreements with the management of those outlets so that we can sell what they have. After visiting all these places, we post videos and pictures on our Facebook pages because photos are captured as return moments after the trip.
Any corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives you are currently engaged in?
We are currently managing Motlakase Power Dynamos FC in Palapye as a way of giving back to the community. This includes help with budgeting, compliance with BFA Licencing and CIPA requirements, and administrative and marketing duties.
We are also working on a project with Ratsie Setlhako Primary School special education block; we will be showing them different gorges in Palapye then proceed to Khama Rhino Sanctuary in Serowe. So we will be teaching students about cultural tourism and wildlife tourism.
Our big plans are changing the tourism landscape of our country