THE director of tourism and gaming in the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism, Sebulon Chicalu, said the ministry is set to meet with the Namibia Tourism Board (NTB) to discuss a new regulatory body for the tourism industry.
This comes after the chief executive officer of the NTB, Digu //Naobeb, said the board is in the process of transitioning to become a tourism marketing agency only, and will then no longer be the regulatory body for the local industry.
//Naobeb was speaking at a tourism stakeholder engagement held in Windhoek on Friday.
The new mandate of the NTB will come into operation once the new draft tourism bill is enacted by parliament.
Chicalu said although this was announced by the board, there are still processes to take place.
“In the first place, we will have a date when the NTB is coming to the ministry to discuss what is contained in the tourism draft bill, and discuss everything else,” Chicalu said.
A decision will be taken at the meeting on whether the functions will be done by the ministry, or whether the ministry will create a division, or alternatively create an agency, to regulate the tourism industry, he said.
“At this stage we have not formed ideas around it yet, depending on the motivation and strategic discussion that the two entities will have.”
According to Chicalu, with regards to the way forward, the ministry will provide more details after they have engaged the board and had a chance to consider whether the ministry will take over or opt to create an agency.
“We will make an announcement to the public and all stakeholders on the outcomes of the meeting,” Chicalu said.
//Naobeb said research carried out in 2018 to create a national growth and development plan suggested that the NTB’s mission be changed to become a destination marketing organisation, and drop its regulatory responsibilities.
//Naobeb said the decision came after stakeholders expressed concern that the industry is over-regulated, which impedes the growth of investment in the industry.
“That document has been submitted to the Cabinet, approved by the Cabinet and tabled, as there are some questions. It’s now a national document,” he said.
According to //Naobeb, they are in the process of transitioning the mandate of the board, as well as still partly regulating the tourism industry.
“This is because this act has not yet been enacted. The current act is still in place, that is why we still regulate the industry,” //Naobeb said.
He said the board is currently overburdened, with ten functions to carry out, of which it only carries out two.
“First one is to promote Namibia as a tourism destination within and outside Namibia, which is marketing. Second one is to register and regulate businesses operating in the tourism industry,” //Naobeb said.
The tourism sector is currently governed by the National Tourism Board Act, the Local Authorities Act, the Land Board Act, the Transport and Traffic Act, and traditional authorities in communal areas and conservancies.
However, once the bill is passed, the Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Tourism will then perform all regulation duties.
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