New plan to safeguard vulnerable environments
Tourist attactions in the spoglight
The master plan focuses on the phenomenon where certain tourist attractions are visited by excessive numbers of tourists, which causes undesirable consequences for these spots.
The Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism has warned that the country’s most iconic tourist attractions are becoming increasingly vulnerable to overexploitation. This has led to the development of a new tourism master plan aimed at protecting fragile ecosystems, but also guiding future investments.The ministry’s deputy executive director, Seimy Shidute, says over-tourism – the phenomenon where certain places of interest are visited by excessive numbers of tourists, causing undesirable consequences for those places – has become a risk in Namibia’s core tourism areas and in particularly ecologically sensitive areas such as the Etosha National Park and Sossusvlei.
“At the same time, it can impact or destroy our features that we use as a selling point for tourism,” Shidute said during a meeting with role players in Swakopmund yesterday.
The plan, which is expected to be completed by the end of June and submitted to the president, will map all developed and undeveloped attractions in the country, along with infrastructure and services, using geographic information system (GIS) data. It aims to prevent unplanned tourism growth that could harm key sites and instead promote geographically balanced development.
Shidute said Namibia is still seen primarily as a nature-based destination, with increasing visitor pressure on limited destinations.
“We want to ensure that what we develop now is for future generations,” she said, stressing the need to preserve the country’s natural assets to ensure long-term sustainability.
The plan will also focus on infrastructure constraints, zoning regulations and value chain readiness before embarking on new tourism developments.
Integrated land use
“You can’t build facilities if there are no communication networks or no water or power supply,” Shidute said.
Joseph Okori, a technical advisor for the consultation process covering all 14 regions, says the plan will integrate land use planning with sustainability goals and an infrastructure strategy.
“The country has a fragile environment and we need to look after it. If we degrade our environment, we lose the foundation of our tourism economy,” he said.
Okori added that the plan will enable tourism planning and diversification at the regional level, supporting new attractions and industries while relieving pressure on existing hubs.
“We are asking ‘what is the unique selling point of each region? What can they offer the tourism economy?’,” he said.
The move comes as Namibia works to rebuild its tourism sector after the Covid-19 pandemic. Tourist arrivals this year surpassed the 800000 mark and are well on track to reach the 1.5 million visitor milestone before the pandemic.
The master plan will span ten years from 2025 and will include a three-year implementation framework with quarterly and annual reporting.
The plan will also be aligned with national development plans and international environmental and sustainability commitments.
Shidute called on stakeholders to help shape the plan through a bottom-up approach.
“We didn’t come here with a draft plan. . . we want to hear from you what the assets and opportunities are,” she said. - [email protected]