Wilderness Botswana Impact Report Highlights Four Decades of Conservation Tourism Value
Wilderness has published its latest Botswana Impact Report, revealing the scale of the company's economic and conservation contributions over the past decade. The figures include more than USD71 million paid to Government, USD108 million paid to staff, USD6 million directed to neighbouring communities, and over USD167 million spent on locally sourced goods and services. Of the 960 people currently employed across Wilderness Botswana's operations, 98% are Botswana citizens, while more than 86% of procurement by value - excluding aviation parts requiring international sourcing - is drawn from Botswana-based suppliers.
Beyond its own operations, Wilderness travel shops globally channelled USD25 million to third-party tourism businesses in Botswana in FY26 alone, with the cumulative value of such referrals exceeding USD167 million over the past ten years. Conservation investment across the company's Botswana footprint of more than 257,000 hectares has totalled USD26 million over the same period, supporting biodiversity stewardship and protected area management. The Children in the Wilderness programme has reached more than 2,700 children through Eco-Clubs and over 2,200 through annual camps in the last decade, while Wilderness Air Botswana has trained 41 citizen pilots, underscoring the company's commitment to long-term skills development and local enterprise within Botswana's conservation economy.
Source: Wilderness Destinations
