Africa-Press – Namibia. AMID ongoing infighting between tourism organisations, the Federation of Namibia Tourism Associations (Fenata) said tensions between various tourism bodies are the result of Covid-19 exposing discrepancies in the sector.
Fenata chairperson Netumbo Nashandi said this in response to questions from The Namibian regarding the ongoing saga between various tourism industry players such as the Namibia Tourism Board (NTB), Hospitality Association of Namibia (HAN), and the Namibia Tourism and Travel Forum (NTTF).
Earlier this month, NTB, HAN, Fenata and a number of other affiliated members in the sector unequivocally distanced themselves from NTTF, citing that the forum had made baseless accusations about exclusivity in the sector.
NTB chief executive officer Digu //Naobeb said recent statements by the NTTF which asserted that the NTB is selectively cooperating with certain tourism associations are without factual basis and malicious.
NTB is a state-owned enterprise which is both the regulatory and marketing body for tourism activities in Namibia. Despite this, Fenata’s Nashandi said sentiments by NTTF founder Nrupesh Soni are not completely misplaced.
“I do concur with [his] assertions that there is a gap in the sector that needs to be filled and that is information,” Nashandi said. Covid-19 has exposed many discrepancies, shortcomings and grey areas in the tourism sector, she said.
“What’s happening right now is a lot of people that are used to operating in a certain manner are being challenged. Their positions and their modi operandi are being challenged,” she said.
Nashandi added that the sector has become very dynamic over the past 18 months and there is a need to have information at hand that is easily accessible.
“We need live updates that are as efficient and effective as possible. Soni’s forum affords all of those opportunities,” she said.
Furthermore, she said it is important for the association to focus on working together to revive the country’s tourism sector. “Forget what’s going on, the discourse, the narrative that’s currently out there.
“We just all need to get back to working together. Regardless of our backgrounds or our personalities. Let’s focus on getting Namibia back out there as a united front,” she said.
Soni has long been at loggerheads with NTB as allegations about ‘monopolistic capture’ shrouded the board and questions surrounded donations afforded to HAN.
However, he said the aim is to make the industry more inclusive to empower local and upcoming Namibian tourism businesses which have never traditionally had opportunities to grow.
“The forum aims to change that by bringing information to the industry,” Soni said. NTTF recently signed an which is a formal agreement between parties, with the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism.
The agreement looks to add a new digitalisation and information component to the existing structures. He said it aims to fill a gap in the industry and does not intend to take over or distance any entity from the existing set up.
‘TIME FOR NEW INITIATIVES’
Soni said the forum was founded because of the huge information gap and lack of inclusivity in the industry and added that NTB should make room for new players who want to push the industry forward.
He said the forum, which was founded in September 2020, was established to streamline collaborative efforts for information flow and communication in the Namibian tourism industry.
“Initially after raising concerns about this on many platforms, I decided to start a forum to raise issues within the industry – concerns that affect everyone, not just the few big companies,” Soni said.
The recently signed agreement between NTTF and the environment ministry will ensure that information is sent and received from all parts of tourism, allow more cultural and heritage sectors to be on tourism platforms and create new synergies within the industry, Soni said.
Furthermore, attempts have been made to include NTB and Fenata in these new initiatives, which have been met with a cold shoulder, Soni said. “NTTF is an open platform, having reached out to Fenata and NTB multiple times for six months now, however, even if some are not ready for a change or new ways yet, we know that having an open platform is the only way to grow tourism,” Soni said.
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