Tourism policy review shows gap between plans and practice
At a public consultation in Erongo this week on Namibia's 17-year-old tourism policy, stakeholders highlighted a recurring challenge in the sector: the persistent gap between policy proposals and implementation.
Held in Swakopmund on Monday, the consultation is part of a nationwide process led by the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism to review the national policy on tourism, adopted in 2008.
Officials say the review aims to update the policy framework and ensure it reflects current realities in the tourism industry. However, discussions during the meeting repeatedly returned to the question of implementation and coordination.
Chief tourism officer Frans Helao, who is leading the consultation process across several regions, acknowledged that previous plans had not always been carried through.
“We know maybe in the past there were some promises, there were some good programmes that were not implemented,” Helao admitted.
He said the ministry’s aim with the consultation process is to gather practical input from stakeholders rather than develop policy in isolation.
“We don’t want to be sitting in our offices as a ministry and develop something which is not talking to the needs of the people on the ground,” Helao said.
“We will consolidate all the inputs that we received countrywide,” Helao added. “Then after that we need to come back to the stakeholders to verify whether what they proposed was indeed incorporated.”
Industry input
Participants in Erongo raised concerns about coordination between ministries, the need for improved tourism data systems, the development of infrastructure and the removal of barriers affecting investment in tourism.
Some stakeholders also argued that tourism policy must address bottlenecks outside the tourism sector itself, including infrastructure, regulation and cooperation with other industries.
Another issue raised was the need to ensure tourism development extends beyond Namibia’s main tourism centres.
Annett Kötting of the Erongo Regional Tourism Forum said the review presents an opportunity to ensure the sector develops more inclusively.
“I think it is very good to see the ministry actually engaging the industry,” she said. “The document is very inclusive and the meeting helped identify areas that are not yet included and should be.”
Kötting said the consultation also provides a platform to address operational challenges that affect tourism businesses.
“If we have got bottlenecks in our airports or in road carrier permits, it should be addressed here,” she said. “Only that way we can find solutions and get the buy-in of our partners in the industry.”
She added that tourism development should not remain concentrated only on the main coastal towns in Erongo.
“We need to be more inclusive of not just Swakopmund and Walvis Bay,” she said, suggesting towns such as Arandis, Usakos, Omaruru and Uis.
Practical details
Despite broad support for the policy review, stakeholders cautioned that implementation could remain difficult if resources remain limited.
“It is a massive document and at the end of the day we know the budget that tourism has,” Kötting said.
She said public-private cooperation will be essential if the revised policy is to translate into practical improvements for the industry.
