Lily Rakorong is the Chief Executive Officer of HATAB — the Hospitality & Tourism Association of Botswana. She leads the association in representing and advancing the interests of Botswana's hospitality and tourism sector across policy, advocacy, and industry development platforms.
Dr. John Francis, AKA the Planetwalker, is the former United Nations Environment Program goodwill ambassador to the world’s grassroots communities. After witnessing a 1973 oil spill in San Francisco Bay, he gave up the use of motorized vehicles for 22-years. In 1983, he began a walk around the world from his home in California. He walked across the United States and the length of South America. After a hiatus to raise a family, he resumed walking, in 2023 from Capetown to Cairo, dedicated to children, the environment and kindness. Through Planetwalk, the education non-profit he founded in 1982, he partners with the GLOBE program, an international environmental education program, in 27 African countries, including Botswana.
Dr. Francis is a highly regarded international speaker on appropriate technology, environment, sustainability, and related topics.
As a keynote speaker at the 2007 World Travel and Tourism Conference in Lisbon, Portugal, Dr. Francis spoke about his 17-year vow of silence, his walking journey and an industry seeking sustainability through hospitality and kindness.
He reached Ramatlabama, Botswana, October 2025, and plans to resume his walk in May 2026
Details to be confirmed. Check back for updates.
We welcome applications from tourism industry leaders, policymakers, and thought leaders to present at HATAB 2026.
Enquire About SpeakingSpeaker profiles from previous HATAB Annual Conferences are available on request — the official programmes and post-conference reports can be downloaded from the Gallery page.
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