Tourism begins at home
Yolanda Nel - As a catalyst for rural development, poverty alleviation, empowerment of the previously disadvantaged and the economic develop of Namibia, the importance of tourism knows no bounds.“Tourism adds social, cultural, political and economic value to our country,” said Deputy Minister of Environment and Tourism at the launch of World Tourism Day at the Hosea Kutako International Airport last week.
The United Nations World Tourism Organisation designated this year as the international year of sustainable tourism for development under the theme, ‘Sustainable tourism – a tool for development’.
In an effort to create awareness about issues affecting the tourism sector in this country the theme for celebrations is ‘Tourism begins at home.’
“We encourage Namibians to travel within their own country and experience the wonders found in Namibia’s communal conservancy tourism sector,” he said.
According to public enterprises minister Leon Jooste, the Namibia Airports Company’s airports and airports worldwide, play a significant role in globalization, connecting cities and countries. “They are a major part of a country’s infrastructure and foster economic activities by encouraging international commerce and tourism and generating employment,” Jooste says, mentioning that a few industries can demonstrate the rate of sustained growth and investment.
“At Namibia Airports Company, we understand that our airports play a vital role in bringing in the crowd, and that more importantly, airports offer increased accessibility, which in turn fuels the tourism sector,” he continued.
According to Jooste, with increased economic activity and employment, consumer behavior changes, raising the standard of living of the people in the region. The availability of airports provides a thrust to the GDP of the local region, having a positively impact on the national economy.
World Tourism Day will be celebrated at the Zoo Park amphitheatre in Windhoek on 27 September.