WINDHOEK – The Namibia Airports Company (NEC) has donated N$289 824 to the 2013 Adventure Travel World Summit (ATWS) that is scheduled to take place in both Windhoek and Swakopmund from 26 to 31 October, 2013.
The donation comprises N$50 000 in cash and N$239 824 in quantitative value.
The Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA) selected Namibia to host ATWS 2013 due to the country’s commitment to community development through nature conservation and tourism.
The 10th ATWS is the first to be held in Africa and is expected to attract more than 700 adventure travel industry members across 60 countries, making it the largest.
NAC Acting Chief Executive Officer, Tamer Sami EL-Kallawi said the initiative undertaken by the NAC to contribute to the summit is a direct step toward building sustainable capacity, as it will be the foundation upon which the Namibian tourism industry will grow and contribute to the nation long after the event.
El-Kallawi said NAC took cognisance of the reality that the Namibia tourism industry depends on the support of various sectors and to that end it trusts the donation will be welcomed by those who will benefit, directly or indirectly, from the summit.
“As a preferred tourist destination, we must continue to rely on our reputation as a peaceful and stable nation, but we must collectively and proactively continue in our strides for infrastructure development, technological advancement and customer service excellence, especially at our airports, which are getaways to Namibia and should, therefore, reflect positively on the nation at large, “ he saidf.
Natasha Martin of the ATWS said she was humbled by the fact NAC made a financial commitmement to the historic summit.
“Our airport is the first impression for any tourist visiting or leaving the country, so it is very important to have them (NAC) on board,” Martin said at the event.
By Kuzeeko Tjitemisa