Crime takes its toll on tourism
Attacks on tourists in Namibia have led to foreign embassies warning their citizens against travelling to this country.
With crime on the increase and tourist attacks and robberies on the increase in Namibia, foreign embassies are turning up the country's risk dial.
The UK, Canada and Germany are among the countries that are now rating Namibia as a high-risk travel destination.
According to the CEO of the Hospitality Association of Namibia (HAN), Gitta Paetzold, crime and safety threats to residents and visitors alike are among the key issues that either make or break a tourism destination.
“Namibia has been marketing itself as a desirable tourism destination, boasting of its wide open spaces, good infrastructure and a great track record of political stability and general safety.”
Unfortunately, reports of attacks on tourists have increased during the current high tourism season. There has also been an increase in fatal accidents involving tourists as a result of speeding and bad roads, says Paetzold.
“The lack of maintenance and the mounting reports of crime against tourists, harassment, bag-snatching and, worse still, the hijacking of cars, pursuits from airports and robberies on dunes, added to the killing of senior citizens, have sent alarm signals to the national and international community.”
According to her, these reports have not only spread like wildfire on social media, but travel advisories issued by foreign embassies now list Namibia as a high-risk country and warn their citizens against travelling to this country.
Canada heightened its risk assessment of Namibia in May, while the United Kingdom last month warned of increasing violent street crimes affecting foreign tourists, particularly in Windhoek.
Paetzold says she visited Europe in May and met industry representatives, including executives of HAN's sister organisation in Germany, the Deutsche Hotel und Gaststaettenverband (DEHOGA).
“I was directly approached by them on the crime situation in Namibia. They quoted some of the texts of travel advisories and said such documents certainly would deter many potential new visitors to Namibia to consider this country as a travel destination.
“The issue certainly is also part of the networking and negotiations between foreign operators and local ground handlers and local operators, and fortunately, our tourism stakeholders do their utmost to provide factual information and guard against sensationalism.”
On forums such as TripAdvisor it has also become increasingly common for travellers to warn others about the crime in Namibia.
“This certainly is not conducive to our image, and nullifies many of the positive intentions and marketing and promotion efforts done by the private sector and the Namibia Tourism Board (NTB) and although crime is not unique to Namibia, it does hamper our growth somewhat at this stage,” Paetzold says.
She says the tourism industry and the tourism ministry were shocked and dejected upon learning that one of the suspects arrested for the hijacking of a German family on Windhoek's Western Bypass had been released on bail a day later.
That was despite the fact that he had committed similar crimes in the past and was out on bail in another robbery case.
According to Paetzold, HAN wrote to the justice ministry, pleading with it to review the laws and regulations guiding the granting of bail.
“Not a day goes by without a report of a crime incident. At the coast where some of our members are part of the neighbourhood watch activities, they are aware of daily robberies, break-ins and more. Also, individuals are starting to take chances at the coast. Some street vendors selling souvenirs harass tourists who are taking walks.”
According to her, there was even a case where such vendors claimed to have been put in charge of collecting entry fees at the jetty, and trusting tourists parted with N$20, only to be told later that no such fees were applicable.
Paetzold says unsuspecting tourists are soft targets, and unfortunately criminals have realised this weakness and use it to exploit visitors.
She says while the tourism industry has nothing against bona fide street vendors who provide a convenient service to visitors and add to their experiences, there needs to be some control over them.
“At this stage, no one seems be in charge of this.”
Furthermore, Paetzold says the recent statement by tourism minister Pohamba Shifeta regarding the increased attacks on tourists was due to continuous prompting by HAN and other stakeholders for the ministry to express itself about the threat that crime poses for the tourism industry.
The aim of this was to gain understanding and support from other authorities to address the issue.
HAN and other associations have met with the City Police, the City of Windhoek tourism division and even Nampol to raise issues of concern, while at the coast, the HAN team serves on police committees to address crime against tourists and residents.
“So there is active engagement and from these we know that the police are also frustrated to see their hard work crushed by seemingly easy bail conditions which allow criminals back on the streets after being arrested in sometimes difficult and dangerous circumstances. Such discouragement could easily lead to the police giving up on arrests, and this we need to avoid at all costs.”
The inspector-general of the Namibian Police, Sebastian Ndeitunga, recently told Namibian Sun that he felt the necessary measures were being taken to contain crime.
Ndeitunga said a safety strategy for tourists was being developed. He has ordered the establishment of dedicated tourism police offices in all regions. At these offices, specially trained officers should attend to tourists.
In Windhoek, the City Police have installed CCTV cameras at crime hotspots and placed police officers in uniform and in civilian clothes at tourist attractions to prevent crime against tourists.
It is estimated that tourism directly contributed 3.8% to the GDP in 2012 and employed 22 897 people, which amounts to 5.1% of total employment in the country.
Tourist numbers have increased considerably over the years. In 2015, Namibia recorded more than 1.3 million tourist arrivals, compared to 254 978 tourist arrivals in 1993. Namibia's top overseas tourist markets are Germany, the UK, USA, France, Switzerland and the Netherlands.
ELLANIE SMIT
The UK, Canada and Germany are among the countries that are now rating Namibia as a high-risk travel destination.
According to the CEO of the Hospitality Association of Namibia (HAN), Gitta Paetzold, crime and safety threats to residents and visitors alike are among the key issues that either make or break a tourism destination.
“Namibia has been marketing itself as a desirable tourism destination, boasting of its wide open spaces, good infrastructure and a great track record of political stability and general safety.”
Unfortunately, reports of attacks on tourists have increased during the current high tourism season. There has also been an increase in fatal accidents involving tourists as a result of speeding and bad roads, says Paetzold.
“The lack of maintenance and the mounting reports of crime against tourists, harassment, bag-snatching and, worse still, the hijacking of cars, pursuits from airports and robberies on dunes, added to the killing of senior citizens, have sent alarm signals to the national and international community.”
According to her, these reports have not only spread like wildfire on social media, but travel advisories issued by foreign embassies now list Namibia as a high-risk country and warn their citizens against travelling to this country.
Canada heightened its risk assessment of Namibia in May, while the United Kingdom last month warned of increasing violent street crimes affecting foreign tourists, particularly in Windhoek.
Paetzold says she visited Europe in May and met industry representatives, including executives of HAN's sister organisation in Germany, the Deutsche Hotel und Gaststaettenverband (DEHOGA).
“I was directly approached by them on the crime situation in Namibia. They quoted some of the texts of travel advisories and said such documents certainly would deter many potential new visitors to Namibia to consider this country as a travel destination.
“The issue certainly is also part of the networking and negotiations between foreign operators and local ground handlers and local operators, and fortunately, our tourism stakeholders do their utmost to provide factual information and guard against sensationalism.”
On forums such as TripAdvisor it has also become increasingly common for travellers to warn others about the crime in Namibia.
“This certainly is not conducive to our image, and nullifies many of the positive intentions and marketing and promotion efforts done by the private sector and the Namibia Tourism Board (NTB) and although crime is not unique to Namibia, it does hamper our growth somewhat at this stage,” Paetzold says.
She says the tourism industry and the tourism ministry were shocked and dejected upon learning that one of the suspects arrested for the hijacking of a German family on Windhoek's Western Bypass had been released on bail a day later.
That was despite the fact that he had committed similar crimes in the past and was out on bail in another robbery case.
According to Paetzold, HAN wrote to the justice ministry, pleading with it to review the laws and regulations guiding the granting of bail.
“Not a day goes by without a report of a crime incident. At the coast where some of our members are part of the neighbourhood watch activities, they are aware of daily robberies, break-ins and more. Also, individuals are starting to take chances at the coast. Some street vendors selling souvenirs harass tourists who are taking walks.”
According to her, there was even a case where such vendors claimed to have been put in charge of collecting entry fees at the jetty, and trusting tourists parted with N$20, only to be told later that no such fees were applicable.
Paetzold says unsuspecting tourists are soft targets, and unfortunately criminals have realised this weakness and use it to exploit visitors.
She says while the tourism industry has nothing against bona fide street vendors who provide a convenient service to visitors and add to their experiences, there needs to be some control over them.
“At this stage, no one seems be in charge of this.”
Furthermore, Paetzold says the recent statement by tourism minister Pohamba Shifeta regarding the increased attacks on tourists was due to continuous prompting by HAN and other stakeholders for the ministry to express itself about the threat that crime poses for the tourism industry.
The aim of this was to gain understanding and support from other authorities to address the issue.
HAN and other associations have met with the City Police, the City of Windhoek tourism division and even Nampol to raise issues of concern, while at the coast, the HAN team serves on police committees to address crime against tourists and residents.
“So there is active engagement and from these we know that the police are also frustrated to see their hard work crushed by seemingly easy bail conditions which allow criminals back on the streets after being arrested in sometimes difficult and dangerous circumstances. Such discouragement could easily lead to the police giving up on arrests, and this we need to avoid at all costs.”
The inspector-general of the Namibian Police, Sebastian Ndeitunga, recently told Namibian Sun that he felt the necessary measures were being taken to contain crime.
Ndeitunga said a safety strategy for tourists was being developed. He has ordered the establishment of dedicated tourism police offices in all regions. At these offices, specially trained officers should attend to tourists.
In Windhoek, the City Police have installed CCTV cameras at crime hotspots and placed police officers in uniform and in civilian clothes at tourist attractions to prevent crime against tourists.
It is estimated that tourism directly contributed 3.8% to the GDP in 2012 and employed 22 897 people, which amounts to 5.1% of total employment in the country.
Tourist numbers have increased considerably over the years. In 2015, Namibia recorded more than 1.3 million tourist arrivals, compared to 254 978 tourist arrivals in 1993. Namibia's top overseas tourist markets are Germany, the UK, USA, France, Switzerland and the Netherlands.
ELLANIE SMIT
Comments
Namibian Sun
No comments have been left on this article