Northern tourism set to grow

Mainstream tourism operators are not aware of services offered in the country's far northern regions of Oshikoto, Ohangwena, Oshana and Omusati and they also lack knowledge of existing services offered in these regions.

Further to this, emerging tourism operators in these regions lack insight and knowledge of the quality of standards, demands and expectations of international tourists.

These were some of the areas of concern raised this past weekend at a tourism forum held at Oshakati that was initiated by the Hospitality Association of Namibia (HAN) and attended by over 30 key role players in the industry. According to the CEO of HAN, Gitta Paetzold, who addressed delegates during the networking workshop, emphasis must be placed on the need for consistency, reliability, professionalism and effective marketing, as well as authenticity, especially in terms of cultural tourism development. “Namibia's far north is set to enjoy an unprecedented drive in tourism promotion, with particular focus on cultural tourism,” Paetzold said. However, during discussions held on ways to actively develop and promote the north as a desirable tourism destination, the key outcome of the discussion was an urgent need for closer collaboration, Paetzold said. Consequently, a dedicated task force was set up to drive this initiative further. Paetzold said the people who are involved are committed to foster closer ties with the tourism mainstream operators and are eager to identify and develop new tourism products, while promoting and linking existing services to national operations.

“The need for closer networking and information exchanges in an effort to promote the region was realised, as well as highlighting the unique attractions in northern Namibia.” Tourism is a key driver for economic growth and according to the deputy permanent secretary in the tourism ministry, Seimy Shidute, it should be promoted as a catalyst for rural social and economic development and an area the ministry is fully committed to. According to her strategic interventions should ideally include innovative product development with a focus on heritage and culture as unique selling points for tourism in the regions. The ministry envisages the development of farm tourism, such as the commercial cultivation of marula palms, and adrenalin tourism, such as rafting and fishing along oshanas and waterways in the north, as well as culinary tourism in the form of traditional cuisine festivals. Paetzold praised HAN and the private sector for the initiative describing it as a perfect reflection of the Harambee Prosperity Plan, which calls for collaboration, communication and joint action to reach the targets set out in Vision 2030.

According to Paetzold, insightful and inspirational presentations were made during the workshop by a number of stakeholders in the tourism industry. This included the Namibian Tourism Board's marketing executive, Maureen Posthuma, Air Namibia's sales and marketing executive, Hellena Kapiya-Nathinge, and the Tour and Safari Association and Federation of Namibian Tourism Associations. The delegates agreed that sustainable and multi-faceted development and collaboration in the region was needed to ensure a success in tourism. This further requires close coordination with other key stakeholders, such as local and traditional authorities, in line with the motto: 'Tourism is everyone's business'.

The task force comprised of three HAN members in the accommodation sector from Ekamuti Town Lodge, Etuna Guest House and Mango Guest House, a photographer and visual and audio producer, a backpacker safari operator, the Ongwediva environment ministry officer, and a skills assessor, as well as Simon Williams of Afri Young Hoteliers whose role was convenor for gathering.

The group committed to regular meetings to collaborate on joint promotion and development of tourism offerings, with the HAN Tourism Trade Forum in November earmarked as the next platform to expose and market the tourism potential of the region.

ELLANIE SMIT