By: Lina Amutenya
Environment and tourism minister Pohamba Shifeta says the newly launched Namibia Tourism Board (NTB) website will serve as a resource centre for students and academic researchers looking for verified information about the history, culture, heritage, and tourism destinations in Namibian.
Shifeta said this during the launch of the new NTB website, digital marketing campaign and foreign mission toolkit this morning in Windhoek.
He said the website would improve interaction with the potential visitors via various widgets that are integrated with the aim to drive traffic and reengage existing visitors. The new website has been enriched with updated content and will serve as an authoritative source for providing current general country information about border crossing, foreign missions, national parks, major attractions, a business directory as well as a marketing toolkit, amongst others. Shifeta said this would improve general service delivery.
Shifeta also said that Namibia is open to tourism business and is looking forward to welcoming all travellers to the country.
“As Namibia recovers efforts, our focus should be on rebuilding consumer confidence first to drive a swift travel recovery. Restoring air connectivity remains a key priority for Namibia’s tourism recovery agenda as connectivity is so critical for Namibia is challenged to pull out all the stops to set Namibia apart from competitor destinations. In this regard, it is very reassuring to be appraised that NTB has commissioned the pipeline activities to aggressively promote the “Destination Namibia” domestically and internationally,” said the minister.
He further encouraged the private sector to take up these opportunities, albeit at a minimal cost.
Speaking at the same event, international relations ministry executive director Penda Naanda said this was a perfect opportunity for Namibian companies to increase sales and find a strategic foothold in various countries.
This, he said, can be done through the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement, which was realised through the collective engagement of all African countries.
The African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement is the largest free trade area in the world, connecting 1.3 billion people across 55 countries, with a combined GDP valued at 3.4 trillion dollars. He implored foreign missions to print the material and capitalise on all possible opportunities, as printing can be more affordable than printing and shipping the material from Namibia.
Namibia has recently been the destination for celebrities, with Lewis Hamilton, an British F1 racing driver visiting the country last week, following former Real Madrid and Manchester United football coach Jose Mourinho. Last year, Hollywood star Will Smith also visited the country.
The environment, forestry and tourism ministry, this week, expressed their pleasure following these recent visits.
“These visits are clear indication that Namibia has unique features that attracts a niche market. We pride ourselves on the peaceful nature of our people, our breathtaking landscape, and our iconic wildlife, which in our view, are collectively the key factors attracting renowned global stars to the country. In addition, our small population and vast empty spaces also give the country a unique advantage, where social distancing comes in naturally,” said ministerial spokespersons Romeo Muyunda.
