By Wezi Tjaronda WINDHOEK – Perceptions that tourism services and accommodation are too expensive for potential domestic travellers have now been validated. And if this situation does not change, the domestic market may cease all together, warns a report aimed at providing the Namibia Tourism Board with information that will help the industry improve domestic tourism. The report: “Improving Domestic Tourism in Namibia”, has revealed that travellers find the services in the industry out of reach for anyone willing to travel, and from the interviews, observations and questionnaires conducted by the survey, 60 percent of the respondents said they perceived prices to be too expensive while 71 percent said the high prices deterred them from travelling. Namibians that travel locally say tourism in the country is primarily focused on the international market, causing its prices to increase beyond the affordability of many and deterring local potential tourists from travelling. Namibia’s apartheid legacy, which saw the country divided along economic, racial and economic lines, can also be seen in the tourism industry. “Many companies are white or foreign-owned and the majority of foreign travellers are upper-class Namibians or internationals,” said the report, adding that as a result, many Namibians feel resentment towards the industry and feel they are not treated with the same respect as foreign travellers. The consultants that carried out the survey said unless the NTB and service providers fix the problem, domestic tourism would diminish. The respondents are also of the view that the industry does not cater for Namibians and thus focuses on international tourists, which creates disparities in pricing and the quality of services offered. Namibia’s Tourism Satellite Account (TSA) released last year also found that Namibians were prevented from being tourists in their own country because of high accommodation prices and entrance fees, yet the world’s most successful tourism economies are those that have a strong component of domestic tourism. The report says developing leisure travel will be important for Namibia because it has the potential to contribute money to the economy and create employment opportunities. But annual levy return forms sent to the NTB also indicate that the majority of guests received at tourism establishments are Europeans, with only 31% being Namibians, a percentage that the report found unsatisfactory. Tourism statistics that are released in a given year also lack information on domestic tourists travelling around the country. An official at NTB said yesterday the local market was all along ignored, adding that the TSA recommendations about making efforts to increase domestic travellers was a wake-up call. Although the domestic tourism industry does not contribute much to the Namibian economy, statistics indicate that Namibians spend money on travel although the amount of money spent and the amount they are willing to spend differ greatly. Digu //Naobeb, NTB’s acting Chief Executive Officer said when he released the findings of the survey last week that Namibia is duty bound to promote the domestic tourism market because in cases of other happenings the country would need the market to fall back on. Although some groups have started offering discounts for domestic tourists, //Naobeb said the board wants more concentrated efforts from all tourism businesses. Namibia Wildlife Resorts is among the few establishments offering discounted prices of 25 percent for Namibians and permanent residents and 35 percent for pensioners, since the 2000-2001 tourism season. Since then, says NWR Manager: Strategic Marketing and Communications, Sebulon Chicalu, the company has seen a steady increase in domestic travellers, which has resulted in 22 percent of the tourism market coming from Namibia. This translates into around 100 000 local tourists per year, he said. Chicalu said the NWR looked at who was giving them a market, noting that the Namibian market is not one that the company wanted to lose. Namibian tourists usually travel over weekends, school holidays and on public holidays with Etosha, Waterberg, Daan Viljeon, Gross Barmen and Swakopmund being their favourite destinations. The top 10 destinations for foreign tourists, according to the TSA, are Waterberg, Spitzkoppe, LÃÆ’Æ‘Æ‘ÃÆ”šÃ‚¼deritz, Damaraland, Fish River Canyon, Sossusvlei, Etosha, Walvis Bay, Swakopmund and Windhoek. In March this year, the Gondwana Desert Collection, which has lodges in the south of the country, launched the Go 4 Deserts initiative to enable Namibians to witness the scenic beauty and wildlife plenitude that those areas are endowed with. The move aims at enabling Namibians, permanent residents and temporary residents to stay at these establishments for half the normal price. Gondwana has created the Gondwana Card, which entitles anyone in possession of a Namibian passport, permanent or temporary residence, who applies for the card, to half the normal price for bed and breakfast in any of the accommodation establishments of the Gondwana Desert Collection. Gondwana Desert Collection’s Public Relations Consultant, Sven Kanzler, said so far there are 250 cardholders since the Go 4 Deserts card was launched two months ago. The company has also seen an increase in domestic arrivals although there are no statistics at present. Only two percent of tourist arrivals at the Gondwana establishments are Namibian and the rest are foreign, said Kanzler. Chicalu contended that some establishments, especially in the private sector, were exorbitant, calling on all in the industry to start introducing incentives and off-season discounts to domestic tourists. The most popular domestic travel months are April, May and December, while popular international tourism months are July to December. //Naobeb said tourism establishments should come up with attractive packaging for Namibians. “Since these peak seasons do not overlap, service providers have the opportunity to accommodate domestic travellers in the off-season,” recommends the report. Other recommendations include, among others, improving marketing strategies geared towards attracting domestic tourists, encouraging service providers to accommodate domestic tourists and improving the variety and accessibility of attractions throughout Namibia. When this is done, the report said, the country could evolve and grow into a greater Namibia – a country that belongs to the people.