Uncertainty over Dorob tourism rules

Tour operators and residents who use the Dorob National Park say they do not know where they stand, while the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism (MEFT) lists three activity concessions for the entire park.The park’s regulations, gazetted in 2012, prohibit anyone other than park officers on duty from carrying on any trade, business or tourism in the park without the written permission of the Minister. MEFT said the rule applies across the entire park.MEFT listed three activity concessions and five community concessions as the written permissions granted since the park was proclaimed in 2010. The activity concessions are the Dune 7 Adventure, Desert Explore and Daredevil concessions. The Topnaar Association holds two community concessions, at Homeb and the Kuiseb Delta. The !Gaingu and Tsiseb conservancies hold one each, and share a concession for the Zeila wreck.The ministry said it keeps a register of the permissions, but that it “contains private and personal information that is not for public scrutiny”.“We are currently unable to confirm whether any TASA member holds such written permission,” Tour and Safari Association of Namibia (TASA) chairperson Wiebke Priilaid said.TASA said it received an acknowledgement, but no formal response, to its letter of 8 July on a draft environmental management plan (EMP) for tourism activities in Dorob and three other parks. TASA has sought engagement with the ministry since late 2025.“In fact, our experience has been that correspondence addressed to MEFT has consistently gone unanswered. This is deeply concerning, as it leaves our members without the clarity and guidance needed to understand their position and operate with certainty,” Priilaid said.Other operators and members of the public have raised similar concerns with the ministry in writing and at public meetings in Swakopmund.ConsultationWritten submissions to the Minister on the draft EMP ask for proper consultation before areas long used by tour operators and the public are allocated to concessionaires.One submission, on the dune area between Langstrand and Dune 7, says attendees at a meeting in April were left with the impression that the area was not part of concession planning, but no official guarantee was given that it would not later go to a concessionaire. It says no minutes were circulated of the two 2026 meetings, attended by about 120 and 56 people.At a public consultation on the concession policy in Swakopmund in November last year, operators and residents asked what existing businesses and the public would still be allowed to do once concessions are awarded.Asked whether it has acted against operators without the Minister’s written permission, MEFT said: “Yes, we regularly issue fines and written notices to non-compliant operators.”MEFT said members of the public need free permits to use the off-road vehicle area in the dune belt, the Swakop and Omaruru rivers and the Messum Crater. Park entrance and conservation fees are collected at Dune 7 and at commercial events, but not from local anglers, the ministry said. It did not say whether operators running angling and scenic tours in the park hold the Minister’s written permission.The ministry did not respond to follow-up questions on whether it regards operators without a concession as non-compliant, and whether operators may run paid tours on the free permits.On how to apply, MEFT said the Policy on Concessions on state land guides the process and “concessions are advertised”.MEFT said park entrance and conservation fees are collected at Dune 7 and at commercial events.“The fees are not collected from local anglers,” the ministry said.Priilaid said the consequences for members, if operators without the permission were treated as unlawful, would extend beyond the loss of business.“Jobs and livelihoods would be at risk, affecting not only tour operators but also their employees, guides, families and the wider network of tourism-related businesses that depend on these activities," she warned.

Uncertainty over Dorob tourism rules

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Namibian Sun 2026-11-04

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Uncertainty over Dorob tourism rules

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Namibian Sun 2026-11-04

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