Gobabeb gears for tourism

THE unusually lush desertscape around the Gobabeb Training and Research Centre, set on the banks of the Kuiseb River in the spectacular Namib-Naukluft Park, is not the only positive change experienced here recently.

Tender new grass shoots will dry out with the first east winds, but the signing of the tourism concession awarded to Gobabeb Training and Research Centre brings with it the promise of good things for many years to come.February 26 2009 marked a historical moment for Gobabeb when the Minister of Environment and Tourism, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, and Gobabeb director Dr Joh Henschel signed the first lodge concession awarded in the Namib-Naukluft Park. The Gobabeb Training and Research Centre, a joint venture between the Ministry of Environment and Tourism and the Desert Research Foundation of Namibia, has extensive experience and a proven record of internationally recognised work, ranging from environmental research and training to the implementation of appropriate technology. It has close links with the local Topnaar community, through employment, training and joint projects, and also through 50 years of shared history. In the language of the ≠Aonin (Topnaar people), /Nomabeb (later changed to Gobabeb) is ‘the place by the fig tree’, named after the nearby fig tree in the Kuiseb riverbed. Not only will this concession benefit Gobabeb, it has other beneficiaries. The Namibian tourism industry for one stands to benefit greatly. ‘To create a world-class Desert Tourism Experience that is ecologically and financially sustainable and which contributes to Namibia’s economic development.’ This is the vision expressed by the Ministry of Environment and Tourism in the draft management plan of the Namib-Naukluft Park. Now the vision can become reality as this unique concession, the first of its kind in Namibia, will showcase responsible low-impact tourism informed by decades of research in the area. Importantly, the concession promises to benefit the neighbouring Topnaar community in a number of ways. Some of the opportunities include: employment during the construction of the main lodge and satellite lodges; training and employment in hospitality and tour guiding; and entrepreneurial opportunities in the provision of goods and services to the lodge as well as in the curio industry.Being in a prime area with magnificent vistas, land forms and life forms, the concession is a gateway to extensive dune fields and vast gravel plains, crosscut by the ephemeral Kuiseb River. There is excellent potential for activities such as scenic drives, guided walks, mountain bike rides, bird watching, scientific expeditions, hiking, stargazing, visits to Gobabeb, and cultural tours to the local Topnaar community. The allocated concession sites, located between 100 and 120 kilometres southeast of Walvis Bay, have large (two-kilometre radius) privacy buffers around them. No other development will be permitted within five kilometres of the sites. Two sites for permanent occupation are located along the Kuiseb River with superb views of dunes, river and plains. Two temporary camps lie deep in the plains, giving that ultimate desert experience of unfettered space.To ensure a high quality tourism product, Gobabeb as concessionaire will contract the operation of the concession (20 years, renewable) to a suitable and experienced tourism and hospitality operator under a Concession Operator Contract agreement. The Request for Proposals will be launched on June 1. The registration for bidders opens on June 8, after which detailed information will be available.Please contact Theresa Thatcher at Gobabeb for any queries at telephone + 264-(0) 64-694199; email theresa.thatcher@gobabeb.org. More information is available on the website www.gobabeb.org