Don’t Allow Namibia’s Jewels To Lose Their Shine

MY husband and I visited your beautiful country for three weeks in September-October 2003, when we covered over 4 000 kms on mostly good roads, met many wonderful people, enjoyed the spectacular and varied landscape, paid for a variety of accommodation and meals, and shopped in many different places.

We came from far-away Canada, so this expedition was planned ahead of time and involved a significant amount of our hard-earned money. We enjoyed the visit, our fourth time in Africa.We have many photos, slides, and mementos, which we share with friends and colleagues – and notes, which we will share with the world’s leading travel guide.I wish to compliment Namibians on your welcome to us as tourists.The outstanding “ambassador” we met was Renee Baard of Walvis Bay, who has a wealth of knowledge about the country, which she shared with great enthusiasm and generosity as she showed us around the area.As your country prepares for another tourist season, may I suggest some areas which could use some attention? These were noticed by many fellow travellers.The roads in the “tourist jewels” of Etosha and Sossusvlei are in desperate need of improvement, as are the road signs there.The three rest camps in Etosha are overdue for basic maintenance.There were leaking taps and toilets almost everywhere, which is strange in a time of critical water shortage.Lack of thorough cleaning and repairs to broken items (such as the shelf on which to place one’s toothbrush) are things which visitors notice and talk about.Etosha’s food services are priced for the wealthy; not all travellers fit that category.Are we being gouged when paying top dollar to use roads and rooms which are deteriorating and ignored? Is this a government attitude?The private hospitality outlets generally did not have this approach, but went the extra mile to ensure good value – and those are the places where we stayed longer and spent more money.The “jewels” just need regular polishing to keep them gleaming and attractive.- Linde Turner – Rosebud, CanadaWe enjoyed the visit, our fourth time in Africa. We have many photos, slides, and mementos, which we share with friends and colleagues – and notes, which we will share with the world’s leading travel guide.I wish to compliment Namibians on your welcome to us as tourists. The outstanding “ambassador” we met was Renee Baard of Walvis Bay, who has a wealth of knowledge about the country, which she shared with great enthusiasm and generosity as she showed us around the area.As your country prepares for another tourist season, may I suggest some areas which could use some attention? These were noticed by many fellow travellers.The roads in the “tourist jewels” of Etosha and Sossusvlei are in desperate need of improvement, as are the road signs there.The three rest camps in Etosha are overdue for basic maintenance. There were leaking taps and toilets almost everywhere, which is strange in a time of critical water shortage. Lack of thorough cleaning and repairs to broken items (such as the shelf on which to place one’s toothbrush) are things which visitors notice and talk about.Etosha’s food services are priced for the wealthy; not all travellers fit that category.Are we being gouged when paying top dollar to use roads and rooms which are deteriorating and ignored? Is this a government attitude? The private hospitality outlets generally did not have this approach, but went the extra mile to ensure good value – and those are the places where we stayed longer and spent more money.The “jewels” just need regular polishing to keep them gleaming and attractive.- Linde Turner – Rosebud, Canada