Namibia is set to host the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) Regional Conference from 14 to 16 June in the capital, Windhoek.
The conference will focus on national and regional branding to enhance the image of Africa as a tourist destination and improve the digital marketing skills of micro and small and medium tourism enterprises, said Namibia's tourism minister Pohamba Shifeta.
He was quoted by Namibia Economist as saying that the face-to-face meeting would be attended by between 100 and 150 representatives from national tourism and destination management organisations, as well as government officials.
"It is well known that the tourism sector has been one of the hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic at the national and regional level," said Shifeta.
"The closure of borders and cross border restrictions on travel over the past year or so has had a terrible impact on direct and indirect beneficiaries of the tourism sector such as hotels, communal conservancies, travel agents, airlines, vehicle rental companies, tour operators, hunting operators as well as restaurants and entertainment facilities targeting tourists.
"In Namibia alone, we have seen a reduction of approximately 90% in visitors to our top [tourist] attractions such as Sossusvlei and Etosha National Park."
The conference will be attended by the Secretary-General of the UNWTO.
Blogs
