After spending over a decade at one of Botswana’s most established safari operations, Ker & Downey Botswana, Fran Hird decided it was time to chart her own path. Now the Founder and Director of Atisa Consulting, Hird says her motivation lies in creating meaningful impact within the tourism industry by helping businesses unlock their potential and evolve sustainably.
“I was looking for a new challenge and I saw that there was opportunity to have a bigger impact,” she explained. “I’m really motivated by the impact that I can have in terms of team development, people development, growing businesses. And when you work for one business, that’s great you can grow that business and your team there. But by doing a consulting business, I can have an impact on a greater scale and work with more businesses.”
Having worked in Botswana’s tourism industry since 2008, Hird brings with her a wealth of experience from managing large teams to understanding the intricate dynamics of local tourism. “I have gone out of my way to try and understand the dynamics of how things work here, and the culture of how things work here in the workplace, within tourism. I think that there is nowhere else like it in the world,” she said.
Her deep familiarity with Botswana’s tourism landscape combined with a global perspective gained from years of travel and a background in human resource management—forms the foundation of her consultancy’s philosophy.
Atisa Consulting, now a year into operation, works primarily with tourism and hospitality businesses in Botswana and East Africa, particularly Kenya. Hird’s approach is tailored to each client: “Each contract is completely different because each business is different and each business owner is different,” she explained. “We do not come in and do things for people, but we guide them and advise them on the directions that they should go.”
A key part of her work involves helping clients identify their goals, define their markets, and develop business strategies that align with both local realities and international expectations. “You run into challenges when you build something and then assume that people are just going to come,” she said. “You rather need to see, is there a gap in the market? Is there something you can do that is different to everybody else? Can you differentiate yourself?”
For Hird, adaptability is one of the most critical skills in the fast-evolving tourism sector. “Definitely being adaptable is really critical,” she emphasised. “The types of things that travelers were looking for 10 years ago are not what they are looking for now. And how does your business change and evolve with the changing needs of the consumers?”
She also believes that Botswana’s unique blend of pristine wilderness and authentic human warmth is what makes it stand out on the global stage. “Botswana is definitely seen as the ultimate safari destination, that it’s pristine, that it’s untouched and wild, that it is high-end and exclusive,” Hird said. “But so often, one of the highlights of their time here is the people that they have met along the way. It is quite unexpected to them… when people are leaving, and you ask them what was the highlight of the trip, so often it is the people that they have met, and the warmth and care and the hospitality that they’ve received.”
As the tourism industry evolves, Hird sees the future in diversification and inclusivity—expanding offerings beyond the traditional luxury safari model. “Some of the clients that I work with are not luxury,” she noted. “They are mid-market, or they are more affordable. They do target the local domestic market as well. So it’s about stretching the product offering so that it is not just all five-star lodges.”
Looking ahead, Hird envisions expanding Atisa Consulting’s capacity to serve more clients by building a multidisciplinary team. “My vision is to help grow the tourism industry and help it reach its full potential and also grow my team,” she said. “We want to grow so that we can help more clients. We don’t just work with anybody. We work with companies that have integrity, that look after their employees, that look after the environment, that are sustainable.”
Despite her years of experience, Hird’s passion for tourism remains rooted in people and purpose. “It’s an incredible industry to be part of because at the end of the day, we are providing and selling an incredible experience,” she reflected. “For some people, it is a once-in-a-lifetime trip. So it is a very positive industry to be involved in, and there’s a great sense of community—especially within the African tourism community.”
Through Atisa Consulting, Hird continues to champion the spirit of helping businesses build not only for profit, but for purpose, people, and long-term sustainability.
