Namibian tourism 'booming'

2007-07-17 08:10

Windhoek - Namibia's tourist sector is undergoing rapid expansion, say the country's authorities.

Benita Herma from the Namibia Tourist Board in Windhoek said: "We had an amazing start to the year and we expect to break the records."

Much of that growth could be put down to increasing co-operation with Namibia's neighbour, South Africa. The new "Cape Namibia Route" was one of the projects designed to raise awareness of western South Africa and southern Namibia.

Namibia was also expecting to profit from the 2010 World Cup taking place in SA. Herma said: "We want to get a piece of the World Cup pie and we're expecting more guests during and after the matches."

Namibia 'good place to get to know Africa'

SA had indicated that some of the teams could locate their headquarters in Namibia. She said: "We're already taking enquiries from the media and tourists."

Namibia already enjoyed an excellent reputation with tour operators, who classed the country as a good place to get to know Africa, thanks to its varied wildlife, desert sand dunes as well as its infrastructure.

Herma said: "We've been profiting recently from programmes about Namibia and Africa on television and radio."

Namibia had sparked particular interest in Germany, where two TV shows could be seen on national television focussing on life in the African country.

According to Maureen Posthuma of Namibia's tourist office in Frankfurt, the 100th anniversary of the foundation of Etosha National Park had also boosted interest.

Last year saw a growth in visitor numbers of between four and seven percent. This year, authorities were expecting 800 000 foreign tourists.

Sapa-dpa

- SAPA