Ellanie Smit, Namibian Sun Reporter writes in this report published last week in the Namibian Sun newspaper that Namibia’s tourism industry is expected to create a whopping 107 000 jobs this year, contributing 19.2 % of the country’s total employment.
Kolmanskop, Namibia.
The article focuses on the lastest Travel & Tourism Economic Impact 2015 report published by the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC).
According to the report, the travel and tourism industry in Namibia generated 24 000 direct jobs last year which contributed to 4.5% of the total employment in Namibia.
This includes employment by hotels, travel agents, airlines and other passenger transportation services, but excludes commuter services. The figure also includes the activities of the restaurant and leisure industries that are directly supported by tourists.
Tourism creates much needed employment for Namibia.
The direct employment by the industry is expected to grow to 25 500 this year, which is 4.6% of total employment, while it is predicted that by 2025 travel and tourism will account for 48 000 jobs directly.
Furthermore the total contribution to employment by the travel and tourism industry was 102 500 jobs last year which was 19.2% of total employment.
This is forecast to increase to 107 000 jobs this year, but remains at 19.2% of total employment, however by 2025 the industry is expected to support 186 000 jobs contributing to 25% of total employment in Namibia.
Namibia attracts tourists who are keen to witness its famed vast spaces and splendid wildlife.
The direct contribution of travel and tourism to the Gross Domestic Product last year was N$3.770 billion (3.0% of GDP).
According to the report this primarily reflects the economic activity generated by industries such as hotels, travel agents, airlines and other passenger transportation services and the activities of the restaurant and leisure industries directly supported by tourists.
This is expected to increase to N$4.054 billion this year and to N$9.431 billion (5.2% of GDP) by 2025.
The total contribution of the travel and tourism industry to the GDP was N$18.424 billion last year.
This contributed 14.9% to the GDP of the country. This year the amount is expected to grow N$19.463 billion, therefore contributing 15.0% to the GDP.
The Namibian Sun on Monday reported that poachers have struck a horrible blow in the Uukwaluundhi Conservancy, located in the Omusati Region, by killing four black rhino and wounding three others.
The rhino carcasses were discovered last Thursday when the newly established association aiming to protect rhinos in Namibia, HoRN.nam, was called in to assist in tracking rhino in the conservancy.
According Jaco Muller from HoRN.nam, he was contacted by the concession holder of the conservancy Wouter Smit, who expressed concern over the fact that their rhino have “not been seen much lately”.
Muller said he flew to the conservancy with a gyrocopter last Wednesday and started his search the following day.
The first rhino he found was a bull, which was heavily wounded and could barely walk.
Three other rhinos were found that were in good condition, but then he spotted a cow that was shot through her shoulder.
“I immediately informed the owner that he should contact the Ministry of Environment and Tourism. We are definitely dealing with poaching here.” Continue reading Namibia loses more black rhinos to poaching→
Welcome speech at 16th annual Namibia Tourism Expo: Monica Kalondo: Chairman Namibia Media Holdings (Pty) Ltd
This is the 16th annual Namibia Tourism Expo and with the assistance of our brands Republikein, Namibian Sun and Allgemeine Zeitung we are once again proud to organise and market this prestigious event.
At this year’s expo, we are also launching our new corporate brand, Namibia Media Holdings. NMH owns the brands Newsprint, Republikein, Namibian Sun, Allgemeine Zeitung, our first regional newspaper, Erongo, our monthly tourism supplement, Tourismus, and other industry supplements. The company has a long and proud media history for over 37 years and today we officially launch the NMH logo which replaces the DMH logo.
Africa is rich in its heritage of communicating and telling stories to everyone, so that everyone can enrich their lives with knowledge, understanding, compassion and respect. These stories have been shared for centuries around the campfires of Africa and ensured that the community felt a sense of belonging and harmony when these stories are discussed and debated. Today is no different and the campfire is still a central point of communication for communities in Africa and Namibia. At NMH we wish to be part of your campfire stories and share them with the community in which you communicate.
The Namibian Tourism Expo is one of the many campfires we have created in this beautiful country in which we help communities to share their stories. We are proud to be part of the tourism industry in sharing their stories with Namibians at this very unique event. The 2014 theme of the Namibia Tourism Expo is “No Limits” and we hope this will inspire everyone involved to be innovative in sharing their stories with visitors.
We are also proud to once again have Bank Windhoek on board as our anchor sponsor for the Bank Windhoek Republikein Motor Show and with the co-sponsorship of the Gondwana Collection Namibia have great stories to share with visitors this year.
Tourism and adventure tourism in particular is all about engaging and Ferrari, with the assistance of Shell Vivo, is touring Namibia this year to share the dream story of driving, seeing a Ferrari and visiting the Namibia Tourism Expo as part of their journey. Make sure that you visit their stand and enter in their exciting competition. Maybe you can share your story of visiting Brazil at the Formula 1 race in November with everyone.
At NMH we recognise that sharing stories today does not just happen around the traditional campfire and that new virtual campfires have been ‘lit’ with social media and smart phone technology. We are proud that the Namibia Tourism Expo will, for the first time, have Wi-Fi access for exhibitors and visitors – proudly sponsored by Paratus Telecom and Bidvest Namibia IT – making social media engagement a reality.
MyNamibia will host a mobile application that will enable visitors to receive news of events at the expo, participate in competitions and rate the stands at the expo. This will truly enhance the ability of all to share their stories with each other.
Sharing the story of hope is also very important for NMH and at the heart of hope is education. Please support our charity, the Amos Meerkat School Project which focuses on pre-primary education for children in need on farms, in rural areas of the country and in the city.
Buy a buff or buy wine tokens and support this educational effort. Close to 3000 pre-primary children across the country will appreciate your contribution. The story of hope will become a reality for these children.
We encourage visitors to engage each and every exhibitor at the Namibia Tourism Expo and let them share their story with you.
The heart of our story-telling events will be at the Old Mutual events tent. The choir competition will share their story of song, the bridal competition finals will share their story of love and hope and on Friday night we will host the Jan-Spies story-telling event. At this event the National Story-telling Gondwana Competition for aspiring story-tellers in Namibia will be launched.
We would once again like to thank the Windhoek Show Society for allowing us to host the Namibia Tourism Expo at their venue. We appreciate the cooperation and passion with which you have supported this event.
We thank all our exhibitors and visitors to the Expo for their continued support in making this Expo one of the premier events on the Namibian calendar. May we also continue to share the story of this beautiful country with one and all in a responsible manner.
So come and join NMH and its brands and share your stories, whether it is hard news, or sharing a message through an advertisement. We are honoured to be part of your campfire in sharing your story with everyone.
Namibia Tourism Expo #MyTourismExpo 