Pack your bags and load your car for a leisurely holiday in Namibia while the soccer frenzy takes over South Africa! This was the message of the Namibia Tourism Board to visitors from Namibia’s biggest source market south of the Orange River, realising that it was the perfect solution to boost visitor figures in what is normally not Namibia’s high season. Predictions were that during the ‘soccer’ month Namibia would most probably attract even less international visitors than usual, because of over-booked, expensive flights, filled with soccer tourists en route to South Africa, travelling on all airlines routing south, even Air Namibia.
The result of the NTB strategy was an unprecedented marketing drive spanning a year, to attract the attention of South Africans over a six-week-long winter holiday. Namibian lodges, camping sites and activity operators offered special rates; NWR extended its discount offer to include South African passport holders, not only Namibian citizens; private companies such as Gondwana launched an intensive marketing campaign to promote regional packages; and numerous South African newspapers and outdoor magazines published special editions or supplements in response to the build-up.
One of the first joint-marketing initiatives between South Africa and Namibia is the Cape to Namibia Route. Based on this concept, Travel News Namibia will explore the multitude of possibilities between Cape Town and the Etosha National Park, as the start and usual turning point of a round trip for South African self-drivers.
/Ai-/Ais Richtersveld Transfrontier Park One of the best things that ever happened for travellers between South Africa and Namibia was the creation of this trans-border conservation area and the subsequent re-opening of the Sendelingsdrift border post on the Orange River between Noordoewer and the Atlantic Ocean. It opened up an exciting new world to explore – much more than just a canoe trip westward. With the creation of this new park, came the opening up of the Sperrgebiet Park south of Lüderitz in what used to be diamond area, out of bounds for visitors for almost a century. Although tourism development has not been finalised in the newly proclaimed Sperrgebiet Park, there is a new energy and momentum in the south.
Hike, row and camp The two world-renowned must-do’s in the south of Namibia are the Fish River Canyon hike and the Orange River canoe trip. Not any more. Gondwana recently launched a mule trip in the northern part of the Fish River Canyon, and Klein-Aus Vista has developed a myriad of hiking trails in the spectacular granite mountains in what is the only winter-rainfall area in Namibia. The Namibian Directorate of Tourism is involved in several initiatives to assist local communities to develop camping sites in remote areas to lure travellers to take the back roads and explore off-the beaten tracks.
Getting to Namibia’s ‘deep south’ from Windhoek and including it in travel packages is expensive and troublesome, because it is far and getting there takes time and effort, which makes it so much better for travellers with time and their own wheels. Assisting local communities to develop basic camping facilities was an important step to open up such wilderness areas, unpopulated and unspoilt. This area, which forms part of the Succulent Karoo biome, is one of the biodiversity hotspots in the world and well worth a visit.
And this is only the beginning of the route. Over the next year, Travel News Namibia will open up routes leading to the remotest corners of the country. (RvS)
