Botswana's "No. 1 Lady Travel Agent" Winner Returns from Trip

Published on: November 24, 2009

Travel agent Marjorie Meeks and her husband returned from her prize trip to Botswana recently with rave reviews for the country, the prize suppliers, and the Botswana Tourism Board. Meeks, owner of Reward Travel in Portland, Ore., was the winner of the “No. 1 Lady Travel Agent” Sweepstakes sponsored by the Botswana Tourism Board. The sweepstakes, open to all travel agents and hosted on TravelPulse.com, was part of a cooperative consumer and trade promotional campaign timed to coincide with the launch of HBO’s series “The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency,” an HBO original series filmed entirely on location in Botswana.

The Meeks, who reside in Tigard, near Portland, were randomly selected out of the nearly 1,500 travel agent sweepstakes entries. The trip package gave the Meeks a taste of both the urban treasures and pristine wilderness the country claims as its own. Winging their way to Botswana on South African Airways, they arrived in the capital city of Gaborone to begin their trip with a city sightseeing tour courtesy of Garcin Safaris. They visited some of the country’s most popular sites, such as the Botanical Gardens, the Main Mall, Three Chiefs Monument, and of course, filming locations from “The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency” series. Accommodation in Gaborone was provided by the elegant four-star hotel, The Grand Palm, a Peermont Resort. The couple then flew on Air Botswana to Maun, the gateway to the Okavango Delta, where they embarked on a four-night safari adventure hosted by Wilderness Safaris, one of Botswana’s premier safari camp operators renowned for its commitment to conservation and sustainable tourism. Their safari took them deep into the heart of Okavango wilderness to view, by land and water, a stunning array of big game and birdlife.

“The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency” chronicles the adventures of Precious Ramotswe, played by U.S. singer and actress Jill Scott, as she solves the mysteries of her countrymen’s lives. Based on the best-selling stories of Alexander McCall Smith, the series just completed its first season on HBO. For more information, call 888-675-7660 or visit www.botswanatourism.us.