Environment & Tourism Deputy Minister opens Network Namibia & launches Namibia Community Tourism Brochure

Royal Geographic Society, London

6th April 2011


Friends in tourism,

I am profoundly humbled by such a big turnout at this event. Observing this attendance, with many of you wanting to know more about and even explore our country, makes me increasingly proud to be a son of the Namibian soil. This year, we celebrate 21 years of the independence of our country, but the achievements we have made in the field of Community based natural resource management (CBNRM) are much greater than those of many countries who are even twice our age. Namibia is one of the few countries in the world which has devolved rights over its flora and fauna to local communities for them to manage and utilize these resources in a sustainable manner. This strategic decision by visionary leaders of our nation has led to the speedy recovery of wildlife populations, which then were near extinct due to rife poaching. This devolution is the most effective anti-poaching incentive as local communities now have a better reason to endure the conflict they suffer from living with wildlife. Natural resource conservation, especially at community level is our trade mark or rather our other name.

• Where in the world will you find an entire coastline of 1,500km with a protected area status?
• Where in the world will you find one eighth of the population living in conservancies?
• Where in the world will you see large numbers of rare, endangered and high value wildlife, including black rhino, being translocated out of national parks into open, unfenced communal area?
• Where will you see large numbers of free roaming desert lions which has increased fivefold since 1995?
• Where will you see a country whose size is 823 000 Km² and 40% of it is under one or the other form of conservation?

Dear friends, all those are found in one country, and that country is our jewel called Namibia. The greatest African wildlife recovery story ever told is in Namibia. More than 50% of visitors to Namibia have made it a habit to return to this land of contrasts because it is simply too diverse and too beautiful to fully enjoy in one visit. Let you be our next visitor to be captivated by this beauty. My words this evening will never be adequate to describe this destination, but I do hope that they will give a foretaste of what you can expect. You must experience it yourselves for you to fully comprehend what I mean.

Friends of Namibia, members of the media,

The world has begun to acknowledge that Namibia is truly a destination rich in diversity, both biological and cultural. How do I even begin to describe this endowment?

• One of our National Parks provides a habitat to at least 450 lions
• The country is a true birds' paradise
• It has one of the most magnificent galaxies which can even be enjoyed on mountain tops
• We have 4,350 plants species
• 256 endemic retile species 217 mammal species
• It is home to the big five (elephant, rhino, cheetah, lion and
• The worlds larges for population of genetically diverse cheetah

The world is watching and seeing these realities. In 2010, the Namibian communal conservancy tourism sector was among the top three finalists for the Tourism for Tomorrow Awards of the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC). This year alone, we entered 2011 with our heads up as we achieved the followed rankings in the Lonely Planet Travel Guide:

• Namibia was ranked number five in the top ten best value destination category
• Our Namib Naukluft National Park was ranked number one in the world's ten best parks and reserves
• Sossusvlei, which has some of the highest dunes in the world, was ranked number ten in the nature's most spectacular attractions category
• Windhoek, our capital city, was ranked number one in the best of cosmopolitan Africa category.

Others have seen these, and you too must explore Namibia.

With a population of one 2.1 million people, Namibian has a rich cultural diversity represented by thirteen ethnic groups. The culture of these groups is so distinct that one will not find it a challenge to tell one from the other, with cultural practices and traditions of some having stood the test of time. Our culture is our pride and we are working tirelessly to have it preserved, cognizant of the role of evolution as well as the power of cultural integration at both the regional and international level. A nation without culture is susceptible to external influence and risks losing its identity. Tourists visiting Namibia appreciate the opportunity to interact with the local communities, to experience their cultures and tradition and to listen to their lifelong preservation of oral history. In our effort to promote tourism at community level, we have visited the majority, if not all, of the tourism businesses and projects owned and operated by the locals. Stories have been collected and compiled into one single brochure, the first ever comprehensive marketing tool for these ventures in Namibia. Through this brochure, they will be marketed to the world and bookings can be made directly with them as for each of them, contact details are provided. They are found all across the four corners of our country and information you need to make your visit a success is contained therein. It is a variety of ventures ranging from campsites, guesthouses, heritage sites, guided tours, information centres, cultural homesteads to even craft outlets.

Now, friends of Namibia and potential tourists, allow me to officially launch the Namibian community tourism brochure and feel free to collect a copy for yourself.

Thank you and all the best in planning that memorable trip to Namibia!!