The perceptions of stakeholders on local economic development and route tourism on the four deserts tourism route in Southern Namibia

Abstract

The diverse landscapes, wildlife and different cultures of Namibia, provide the country with incredible opportunities for tourism. However, these assets must be developed to ensure the continued growth of tourism in the country. Tourism is Namibia’s third largest foreign currency earner and, to ensure its sustainability, the Namibian government has gone to extensive lengths to promote conservation. To support the conservation of rural Namibia, the government has promoted the creation of conservancies which consist of rural conservancy members choosing to work together to protect the wildlife and environment. Conservancies and other protected areas currently constitute over 50% of Namibia’s landmass. The Namibia Tourism Board (NTB) was established in 2001 as a regulatory body for the tourism industry, in part to ensure the sustainability of the industry. Whilst most tourists visit the northern part of Namibia, southern Namibia, with its large open spaces and rural communities, lacks major development as a tourist destination. Route tourism is a viable option for lesser known areas, because it links smaller towns and attractions as part of a designated route. The Four Deserts Tourism Route spans the entire southern Namibia, but it is currently not managed and marketed as a tourism route. The aim of this investigation was to determine the perceptions of stakeholders on the Four Deserts Tourism Route related to route tourism and Local Economic Development (LED). This served as basis for the recommendations to the NTB to manage and market the route as a fully-fledged tourism route. A quantitative research method was applied to obtain data, using a semi-structured questionnaire. A total of 177 questionnaires were collected for data analyses. The findings indicate that most of the participants along the Four Deserts Tourism Route are not aware of the route. Many feel that not enough is being done by the Ministry of Environment and Tourism and NTB to promote southern Namibia as a tourist destination. There were also misgivings about the infrastructure (such as roads, signage, rest stops and information centres) along the route. Another concern raised was a lack of communication between private stakeholders and LED officers. The data analysis enabled specific recommendations to be made on properly managing and marketing the Four Deserts Tourism Route. These recommendations will be presented to the NTB and MET.