THE HOSPITALITY ASSOCIATION OF NAMIBIA (H.A.N.)

Building trust in the Namibian hospitality sector

By Isobel Kruger

The Hospitality Association of Namibia (H.A.N.)

is a trade association focused on developing Namibia’s hospitality sector to its full potential. By representing the sector’s full spectrum, including accommodations like hotels, guest houses, and lodges, conference centres, marketing and advertising companies, suppliers, and tour facilitators, H.A.N.’s growing membership signifies its commitment to building meaningful industrywide partnerships.

Since its founding in 1987, H.A.N. ‘s popularity among Namibian hospitality sector stakeholders has grown from a humble sixteen members to almost four hundred members to date. Through the years, increasing membership diversity also contributed to H.A.N. becoming the true representation of an umbrella body and a key role player in the hospitality sector, aiming to protect their members’ collective interests as well as support them to reach their full potential in an industry brimming with possibilities and rooted in true diversity.

Foundational Values

H.A.N.’s operations are rooted in an acceptable behaviour framework comprising five foundational values: Service, Excellence, Respect, Value, and

Ethics. These foundational values lead to one key term—serve—summarising its main focus to serve its members just as businesses in the hospitality sector strive to serve their guests.

NAMIBIA’S UNIQUE EXPERIENCE

While desolate in appearance, Namibia’s arid landscape is teeming with life, the remarkable kind that managed to survive and thrive in the harshest of environments. It offers an unexpectedly eclectic range of tourist activities. Boasting the cultural diversity of the San, Himba, Vambo, and Herero peoples, as well as Germans and Afrikaners, tourists can experience these communities’ unique traditions and lifestyles.

Unabashedly Warm Afrikaner Hospitality

Whether you decide to discover the charming town of Swakopmund or go hunting towards the more rural realm of Otjiwarongo, you will find friendly Afrikaner folk ready to welcome you, many working in the Namibian tourism industry as guides, lodge managers, or local business owners.

Afrikaner hospitality gives Namibian tourism a unique flavour with its unapologetic genuineness, the Afrikaner’s need to make sure guests are extremely well-fed and comfortable at all times, and their intense appreciation for nature.

Diverse Natural Landscapes

Namibia offers tourists some of the most remarkable natural wonders. The Namib desert is the oldest desert known to man, with Sossusvlei as its most scenic tourist destination.

The Fish River Canyon is the world’s second-largest canyon, and the area hosts sought-after lodges, guest farms, and rest camps with breathtaking views.

And, while it is challenging to unite the desert and the ocean in the mind’s eye, the Skeleton Coast achieves this beautifully with dramatic landscapes that feature long-lost shipwrecks and unsolved mysteries.

Wildlife and Hunting

Well-known for its wildlife, tourists flock to Namibia for safaris and hunting, and both activities are wellcatered for by the tourism sector. With both public and private game reserves offering a range of accommodations and facilities designed for gamewatching and safaris, tourists are spoilt for choice.

Hunting not only contributes to the tourism sector but also plays a key role in nature conservation. In Namibia, hunting is well-regulated, and speciesspecific quotas are adjusted annually to ensure sustainable wildlife use. As these populations increase or decrease, the sustainable number of animals eligible for hunting also increases or decreases to provide an economic incentive to both protect and grow the Namibian wildlife population and responsibly contribute to the country’s tourism and hospitality.

Adventure Tourism

Activities like sandboarding, quad biking, hiking, and dune climbing provide yet another dimension to Namibia’s multifaceted tourism landscape. These activities are set against Namibia’s breathtaking environment, appealing to thrill-seekers and nature lovers alike.

Luxury Tourism

Namibia offers many luxury tourism opportunities that not only boast high-end amenities but also stunning landscapes and unique wildlife. Luxury safaris, hot air balloon rides, and wildlife tracking provide personalised African experiences with exceptional service, allowing tourists to explore the country’s remote wilderness in style.

THE POST-COVID JOURNEY

A sparsely populated country with no fertile ground for commercial agricultural practices or other locally produced exportables, Namibia relies on tourism for economic growth and job creation, needing tourists’ support to keep things going.

After the lockdown became official in March 2020, leading to international travel restrictions, tourism came to a grinding halt, with dire consequences for countries like Namibia, whose economy relies on the hospitality sector.

As a result, over 50% of surveyed Namibian businesses, including those operating in tourism and hospitality, have reported retrenchments and wage reductions since the COVID-19 pandemic. One in four women employed in the tourism sector lost their jobs during this period, and 79% of businesses report reducing their staff’s working hours, with one in four workers transitioning to part-time work to make ends meet.

These cutbacks had a ripple effect, with supply chain businesses in the Namibian tourism industry reporting the need to reduce investments and business expansion by 46% and increase their prices by up to 35% while lowering logistics services by the same percentage.

Almost 50% of these business owners had to dip into personal savings to keep their doors open while delaying payments to service providers and suppliers.

Many businesses did not survive long enough to take the road to recovery. However, the country aimed to increase their post-pandemic tourist numbers to pre-pandemic levels and international tourist arrivals in Namibia shot up to 87,4% , with a 2023 report showing 1,05 million total visitors.

More Than Just Members

With this new dawn in the Namibian tourism landscape, H.A.N. aims to help its members make the most of the renaissance and beyond by promising quality, service, and value for money. As an umbrella body for the hospitality sector, the Association also aims to involve all role-players in the hospitality industry and elevate their members to true ambassadors of Namibia’s unique landscape and experience.