The tourism industry here in Namibia was taken aback in early November with the news that Gideon Shilongo, Chief Executive Officer of the Namibia Tourism Board (NTB), had decided to leave the parastatal and to take up a managerial post in the commercial marketplace with Namibia Breweries. Mr Shilongo had joined the NTB as its first CEO in October 2001, on a five year rolling contract. But he recently decided to turn down the option of continuing in his role with a second five year contract. Announcing that the post of CEO would be advertised forthwith, Benita Herma - Deputy Chairperson of the NTB - was quoted as saying that "Mr Shilongo will stay at the NTB until the end of January 2007. If no CEO has been appointed by then, the Board will appoint an interim CEO, probably from within, since this is a very specialised post".
Gideon Shilongo was highly respected and admired within the industry for his dynamic, professional and hands on contribution in driving the sector forward. The remit of the NTB, under his care, became both extensive and workable. As the inaugural CEO of this Board following it's formation on April 2nd 2001, he was instrumental in successfully establishing the NTB as the promotional and marketing body for the whole tourism sector not only in Namibia and the SADC countries but most importantly overseas too. One constant struggle that Gideon Shilongo has perhaps had to endure over the past five years is that of small annual budget appropriations from Government, making it increasingly hard to cover in-house costs and all the essential overseas marketing expenditure. Another area that threatened to create uncomfortable political undertones was Mr Shilongo's rightful insistence that all of the establishments operated by Namibia Wildlife Resorts (NWR) had to meet the NTB minimum criteria, just like everyone else.
Business Affairs
The Ministry of Environment and Tourism (MET), through its project entitled Strengthening the Protected Area Network (SPAN), recently purchased 10 new vehicles to further support their field-based activities. The vehicles will fill an urgent need enabling park staff in project areas to carry out their activities more effectively, whilst helping to conserve Namibia's protected areas. All were procured with funding from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and logistical support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
Of these 10 four-wheel-drive vehicles officially handed over to the MET, eight were Toyota Landcruiser pick-ups and two were Toyota Landcruiser station wagons. The vehicles have all been fitted with satellite tracking devices. Five of the pick-ups will be equipped with rails and water tanks while the remaining three will have canopies.
The vehicles will be distributed to SPAN projects as follows:
Three will be used by SPAN Field Coordinators in the project's four demonstration sites: Bwabwata-Mamili-Mudumu, Etosha-Skeleton Coast Park, /Ai-/Ais Richtersveld and the Sperrgebiet. A further three will be stationed at the Bwabwata-Mamili-Mudumu Complex in Caprivi Region. One will go to the Etosha-Skeleton Coast Park in north western Namibia. One is for the /Ai-/Ais Richtersveld demonstration site and the Sperrgebiet in the Karas Region. Two will be stationed in Windhoek to be used by the SPAN Project Management Unit.
Namibia's parks currently contribute between N$1 billion and N$2 billion annually to the national economy, a study by the MET has found that about 23% of this income benefits poor households in the economy (some N$230 to N$460 million). Effective management of parks, maintenance of infrastructure and the provision of equipment to enable staff to fulfil the MET's mandate are vital for continued revenue generation, particularly towards alleviating poverty. SPAN focuses on the effective management of Namibia's protected areas. Funded by MET and UNDP/GEF, the programme promotes the sustainable management of renewable natural resources to protect biodiversity while contributing to equitable economic and social development in Namibia. www.span.org.na
The TASA Spot
In continuing the brief report on The TASA Coastal Forum, held recently at the Swakopmund Hotel and Entertainment Centre, other issues on the agenda for discussion included the perpetually thorny question of tour guide commissions. Although now outlawed in some parts of Europe, commissions here are not subject to any regulations. The tour operator community remains divided: some say shops and outlets offer higher rewards in the hope of attracting more business, which in the end will cost the customer more. Some say that tax invoices should be raised with the Operators, giving them control of the distribution of commissions; others seem to think that here in Namibia everything runs fairly sensibly. But TASA have produced some initial guidelines and thus await member feedback and suggestions.
Namibia Wildlife Resorts (NWR): the general feeling was that things were moving forward most positively under the new management regime. It was reported that the renovations and upgrades of establishments - particularly the showpiece resorts in Etosha National Park, which celebrates its centenary in 2007 - promised to be of a good standard. Lateral planning within the parastatal seemed to be much more along 'private sector' lines now, which would surely benefit tourists too.
The vexed subject of uranium mining in the Namib, and its impact on both the environment and tourism, was discussed. The Langer Heinrich mine was now operational, and Bannerman Mining had confirmed that, with all their permits fully and correctly in place, they would be mining in the Moon Landscape area near Swakopmund. Both companies insist that the areas mined will be finally very properly re-instated. Meanwhile TASA will approach both the Ministry of Tourism and Environment (MET) and the Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME) to attempt to reduce the effect on tourism, especially regarding disturbances to the look-out point at the Moon Landscape and the areas visible from the D1991 gravel road to a minimum. Lastly, a welcome guest at the Forum, Maureen Posthuma - the Area Manager Central Europe for the Namibia Tourism Board (NTB), based in Frankfurt, Germany - unveiled details of an amazing promotional and marketing coup for the NTB Frankfurt office. The German radio station SWR3, with a daily audience of some 3 million listeners, ran a competition on-air during October, featuring Namibia. A group of eighty people, including the prize-winners and a radio crew sending back live broadcasts, will enjoy a trip to Namibia in early December. The media and marketing value of the entire campaign - on radio, in the press, in magazines, on television and on billboard advertising - is estimated to be 36 million Euros. A huge promotional boost for Namibia.
Contact details for the Tour and Safari Association of Namibia are: Tel +264 61 238423 E-mail info@tasa.na.
