The Diplomat
Recalling the words of the late Namibian President Hage Geingob – “We must renew our confidence in the future, where our young people are the custodians of tomorrow”-, the Secretary General of UN Tourism, Zurab Pololikashvili, concluded yesterday his speech at the University of Science and Technology, during which he presented the ‘Tourism Doing Business’ Investment Guide that UN Tourism has just published on Namibia.
Pololikashvili, who today will attend the inauguration of the new president of Namibia, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, recalled that on his first visit to the African country, in November 2020, he was received by President Hage Geingob, and that on his second visit, in 2021, UN Tourism organized the First ‘Brand Africa’ Forum, which brought together ministers and private sector leaders from all over Africa and the rest of the world.
On this third occasion, the secretary general, after stressing that that event “was a real success,” emphasized that “Namibia has made significant progress in attracting new investment, improving infrastructure and promoting responsible tourism.” That has been reflected, he said, in “impressive” growth in foreign direct investment, which reached $2.6 billion in 2023.
“The significant contributions from China, South Africa and the United Kingdom,” Pololikashvili continued, ”highlight Namibia’s success in diversifying beyond mining into sectors such as tourism, agriculture and financial services.” He was therefore pleased to be able to support this investment effort from UN Tourism with the ‘Tourism Doing Business’ guide, which emphasizes “the need for inclusive development, innovative policymaking and a key focus on sustainability.”
“We have a responsibility to ensure that tourism, along with other strategic industries, empowers all,” added the UN Tourism leader, who proposed ‘the use of real-time market data’ so that ”tourism stakeholders can design better strategies, secure funding more efficiently and remain responsive in a highly competitive global environment.”
In a speech titled ‘Sustainable Tourism: Harnessing Technology, Inclusion and Heritage for a Resilient Future’, Pololikashvili reviewed the progress Namibia has experienced in recent years – improved road networks, expanded port facilities, cruise tourism, new infrastructure and a commitment to innovation, among others – to conclude that “our task here is to build not just thriving industries, but an enduring future, where no dream is out of reach, and where Namibia’s promise continues to shine as a guiding model for Africa and the world.”
