Nam a world leader in cleanliness

NAMIBIA has retained its place as one of the top five least polluted countries in the world in the latest Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index of the World Economic Forum (WEF).

Although ranked fifth in the 2009 T&T Index, Namibia shares the same score of 6,4 out of a possible seven with New Zealand (third), Finland (fourth) and Austria (sixth). The number one spot belongs to Iceland, followed by Sweden, both with 6,5 points.This no doubt helped to clinch another top ten position for Namibia.In the category which determines how often businesspeople are advised to extend their trips to include a holiday, Namibia is ranked second in the world. It is only outshone by New Zealand.Overall, Namibia is ranked 82nd out of 133 countries in the latest T&T Index, an improvement of 11 spots over the 2008 Index.The annual index comprises of 72 indicators, divided into competitive advantages and competitive disadvantages. Although Namibia only managed to secure 22 competitive advantages in this index, in each of these the country is ranked under the top 50 in the world.Namibian hospitality clinched the 30th position in the category measuring the attitude of the population towards visitors, scoring 6,6 out of seven. Barbados and New Zealand came out tops with 6,9 each, while Venezuela is at the bottom with 4,8.The variety of wildlife and vast areas of protected landscape make Namibia a competitive destination.With 844 species of birds, mammals and amphibians, Namibia ranks 41st when it comes to variety – not quite as attractive as Brazil with 3 129 species, but definitely more alluring than bottom-ranked Mauritius with only 84 species.Unfortunately, only 3,9 per cent of Namibia’s total species are threatened, stealing some of its clout as a prime tourist destination.Nearly 14 per cent of Namibia’s total land area is protected, placing it 46th in this category. This is considerably less than the 65,7 per cent of top notch Venezuela, but significantly more than Libya’s 0,1 per cent. Namibia’s low rate of carbon emissions ranks it 43rd on the world ladder. The Index states that Namibia emits 1,2 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide per capita per year, compared to 0,1 in Mali and 69,2 in Qatar.State environment and tourism policy earned Namibia the 18th place in the category determining how sustainable development in the industry is. Namibia scored 5,6 out of a possible seven points.Government’s attitude towards the industry is ranked 25th in the world, while the effectiveness of Namibia’s marketing and branding secured the 27th position. The stringency of environmental regulation and the Government’s enforcement thereof also count in Namibia’s favour. The country is ranked 44th and 48th in these categories respectively.Namibia’s ground transport infrastructure places it among the top 30 countries worldwide.The quality of Namibia’s roads scored 5,4 and was ranked 23rd. Railroad infrastructure with 4,3 and port infrastructure with 5,3 were both placed 24th in their respective categories.The low incidence of road accidents positioned Namibia 36th in this category. The Index states that only 0,4 per 100 000 deaths in Namibia are due to road traffic accidents.However, Namibia’s tourism potential is severely hampered by constraints with health and hygiene, safety and security, tourism infrastructure, information and technology infrastructure, and human resources.The lack of local research and training services placed Namibia at number 133 – the last on the ladder for this category.Crime and poor health facilities also tarnish Namibia’s image as tourist destination.In the category looking at the cost of crime and violence on business, Namibia is ranked 105th worldwide. The unreliability of the Police placed the country 80th.Namibia only has 0,3 doctors per 1 000 people. This statistic rated the country 106th in this category.Overall, Switzerland claimed the number one spot in 2009 T&T Index with an average score of 5,68 out of seven. Chad came in last with 2,52 points. Namibia’s average is 3,77.jo-mare@namibian.com.na