I had the privilege of recently spending 10 days in your beautiful country.
And I also read the article referred to: Invest more in Destination Marketing” (02.04.2008, Wezi Tjaronda).
Allow me two recommendations, which could contribute considerably to an improved “destination marketing”.
Upon arrival at Hosea Kutako on March 25th I was “greeted” by an arrogant and unfriendly immigration official. Had this been my first ever impression of Namibia, I would have started out on a very negative footing.
Recommendation: make it clear to immigration and customs officials that they are very important in giving a “friendly face” to Namibia.
Germans love and adore these quaint German street names: Bahnhofstrasse, Uhlandstrasse, Goethestrasse, etc.
Historically, there were also other names: Kaiserstrasse, Hauptstrasse, Goebbelsstrasse.
Unfortunately.
These were replaced with the names of a number of more or less brutal dictators: Fidel Castro, Laurent Kabila, Robert Mugabe. Apart from the fact that it is probably quite an insult to the likes of Mr Mandela to be put into such company, none of those men will ever be of any benefit to Namibia.
Every additional tourist, however, brings in foreign exchange and increases job opportunities within Namibia.
Recommendation: rename some streets in Windhoek with their “old” names.
Sincerely
Erik Napp