Stakeholders in the Erongo Region have welcomed the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism's (MEFT) efforts to consult widely on the review of the National Tourism Policy.

The Chief Tourism Officer at MEFT, Frans Helao, explained that the review of the policy is aimed at expanding its relevance.

"The tourism sector is now over 36 years after independence, and our sector is one of the sectors that are very crucial to our national economy. Yet, we don't have any regulations governing it. So, the main aim is that once this policy is reviewed, it will be translated into a bill, which will consequently be transformed into a Tourism Act that will guide our sector. We are advocating to make sure that we have a registration framework guiding it to ensure that we have a conducive environment."

Industry representatives say the policy must go beyond planning and focus on implementation.

Gitta Paetzold, CEO of the Hospitality Association of Namibia, said, "We always claim that tourism is everybody's business, and the policy should ensure that we link all those stakeholders that affect tourism, be it different government departments or the private sector. Various operations, telecommunications, road infrastructure, and imports all have a role to play in our tourism industry. For a tourism policy to actually be effective, it must ensure that we have tentacles in all the other spheres to be effective."

Also making contributions to the policy was Tulimekondjo Ishitile, the Manager for Economic Development at the Walvis Bay Municipality, who said, 'We are also talking about people taking value in our heritage and culture and in our food, which is very popular, especially among the African cohort of tourists who come to visit us. However, for that to be relevant to the global market, I would suggest that the ministry really work closely with the regional council and local authorities in educating our communities on how to package our food and the hygiene around it and include them in the mainstream eatery market as part of the gastronomy product."

Member of the Erongo Tourism Forum, Annet Kotting, encouraged those in the tourism industry to come out and contribute to the policy. "If we in the tourism industry do not listen to the call of the ministry, later on, if we don't like the policy, who are we to blame? So we should all take ownership of our industry and make sure that we engage with the policies that are being set out," she said.

The revised policy is expected to inform legislation that will regulate the tourism sector.