By Emma Kakololo WINDHOEK CHRISTMAS is coming and for those who cannot face another hectic Christmas at home and want to treat themselves and their families to a special break, they have missed out on many pre-Christmas deals if they have not yet booked their accommodation in advance. From the viewpoint of the holiday industry, the snag with Christmas is that it comes only once a year and the solution is to offer pre-Christmas deals. As for the Namibia Wildlife Resorts (NWR), 8 December 2005 was the last day for clients to qualify for their low season special rates for the period 30 November until 31 March 2006. Booking was to be made before the due date and paid for in full. NWR was offering 40 percent discount on accommodation only for Namibian citizens at its resorts Halali, Waterberg, Popa Falls, Hardap, Ai-Ais, Gross Barmen, Daan Viljoen and S. Von Bach. For SADC/South African citizens, 25 percent less on accommodation resorts Halali, Waterberg, Popa Falls, Hardap, Ai-Ais, Gross Barmen, Daan Viljoen, S. Von Bach. “Those who did not capitulate have lost. Unfortunately they must now pay the normal rates,” Abed Nego Mbaukua, the General Manager for Marketing at NWR said. He said in the past the company operated on a loss when clients reserved places and never turned up. This prompted the company to demand payment with every booking. “We did this in the past, letting them pay on arrival, but some never arrived and we could have given the places to other people whom we turned away,” he said. Swakopmund, the main festive season attraction, is expecting another bumper festive season this year, with tourists snapping up hotel rooms and some coastal resorts already fully booked. Last year most resorts at the coastal town started filling up by mid-December but now some have been booked before then until the end of January – the same with the popular municipal bungalows. “All the bungalows are fully booked from 20 December 2005 until 2 January,” Swakopmund Municipality Public Relations Officer, Freddy Kaukungua, revealed yesterday, optimistic about the expected boom. “Swakopmund itself a highlight. Many things would be happening here such as our annual Miss Palm Beach competition,” he said further.