Luxury hotels boost tourismNTB''s Digu //Naobeb says the sector requires good marketing and research to be successful. NTB CEO calls for more investment The CEO of Namibia Tourism Board, Digu //Naobeb, said the country is in need of more high ranking accommodation establishments such as four and five-star hotels, but that challenges such as crime were hampering investment in the sector. According to //Naobeb, over the next 20 years, arrivals globally and in Namibia are expected to grow and therefore strategies are needed so that the country can accommodate this growth in the market.
He said that tourism thrives on peace and security and therefore, the country should ensure that this is maintained.
He added that the sector also requires good marketing and research to be successful. He said that tourism thrives on peace and security and therefore, the country should ensure that this is maintained. He added that the sector also requires good marketing and research to be successful.
//Naobeb admitted that NTB does not have a national marketing strategy in place, but expressed the hope that it would be put on tender for the strategy to be developed.
The NTB boss was speaking during the launch of the National Sustainable Tourism Growth and Development Strategy and the National Tourism Investment Profile and Promotion Strategy. According to him, good infrastructure, roads, electricity and water supply is also critical for tourism growth.
He says that domestic tourism should not be overlooked and added that NTB has been trying to create awareness among Namibians to travel in their own country.
//Naobeb stressed that the sector needs to take into account how locals travel in comparison to foreigners and what their needs are.
“They are two different clientele,” he said.
He therefore said that the sector should look into establishing a theme park that locals can visit. Furthermore, he stressed that regions in the country should also start to market themselves aggressively in other destinations and said that the NTB can use marketing strategies on top of that to market the country as a whole.
He said that there has been some haphazard development in tourism destinations in the country with some saying that Sossusvlei is for instance overdeveloped while other regions have not been developed with regard to tourism. “This needs to be addressed.”
//Naobeb also said more five-star properties are needed in the country as Namibia currently only has one (Hilton Hotel in Windhoek).
However, he added that investment has somehow stagnated and that crime is regarded as a major concern in the country at the moment.
“Crime levels are just increasing and we need to address this,” he said.
ELLANIE SMIT