Tourism in good shape – Minister

NAMIBIA’S tourism industry last year contributed about N$7,2 billon to the country’s GDP – an increase of 9,3 per cent from the previous financial year – and has also created about 77 000 jobs.

Equally impressive is that the 50 communal conservancies – which cover 11,8 million hectares of land, or 35 per cent of all communal land – generated about N$39,1 million through the utilisation of wildlife and other tourism enterprises. This is a substantial increase, seeing that income from community-based tourism was less than N$1 million a decade ago, Environment and Tourism Minister Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah said at a World Tourism Day event held in Swakopmund over the weekend.”Namibia’s tourism has proven itself time and again as a powerful instrument for the socio-economic development in our country,” she said.She said tourism generated much-needed foreign exchange that contributed to the diversification of economic activities.”Tourism creates employment – not just for those who provide tourism services directly to visitors, but also for those who service tourism businesses in a myriad of areas that are not traditionally associated with tourism,” she said.She said despite the remarkable growth in tourism, there was still a need for continual improvement with regard to tourism infrastructure development and the delivery of products and services in order for Namibia to stay competitive internationally.The development of skills, increased black economic empowerment and making sure that the previously disadvantaged shared in the benefits of tourism were critical in achieving these improvements, the Minister said.This is a substantial increase, seeing that income from community-based tourism was less than N$1 million a decade ago, Environment and Tourism Minister Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah said at a World Tourism Day event held in Swakopmund over the weekend.”Namibia’s tourism has proven itself time and again as a powerful instrument for the socio-economic development in our country,” she said.She said tourism generated much-needed foreign exchange that contributed to the diversification of economic activities.”Tourism creates employment – not just for those who provide tourism services directly to visitors, but also for those who service tourism businesses in a myriad of areas that are not traditionally associated with tourism,” she said.She said despite the remarkable growth in tourism, there was still a need for continual improvement with regard to tourism infrastructure development and the delivery of products and services in order for Namibia to stay competitive internationally.The development of skills, increased black economic empowerment and making sure that the previously disadvantaged shared in the benefits of tourism were critical in achieving these improvements, the Minister said.