Walvis Bay Mayor Trevino Forbes has called on residents of the harbour town to safeguard tourism as it is one of the largest contributors to employment opportunities in the town.

Forbes, in his address during the Walvis Bay Tourism Forum meeting on Wednesday, called upon stakeholders in the tourism industry to join hands in coming up with meaningful contributions and strategies that can turn Walvis Bay into a world class tourism destination.

“To make a meaningful contribution, tourism requires all of us to work together and collaborate in transforming Walvis Bay into the number one destination in Namibia and the most renowned in southern Africa,” he said.

The mayor stressed that it is not enough to have thousands of visitors come to the town for daily activities such as boat cruises and trips to Dune Seven or Sandwich Harbour, and said more effort should be put into increasing the number of tourists paying for lodging at the town.

He noted that currently, most visitors do not necessarily spend extended periods of time in the town, nor do they spend a lot of money as Walvis Bay has established itself as a single-day sightseeing or single-day activity town.

“Our focus should be to increase the number of nights slept in Walvis Bay establishments, increase the number of meals they eat in restaurants and increase the number of social/entertainment events they attend while in town.

This, subsequently, increases the amount of employment created because of their spending power,” Forbes said.

The mayor, therefore, advised the tourism forum to come up with good marketing strategies, agree on incentives that will be used to entice aspiring visitors and increase the current tourism products to ensure that visitors have an unforgettable experience.

Established in 2019, the Walvis Bay Tourism Forum is aimed at elevating the harbour town’s tourism status to local and foreign tourists. The forum is also set to appoint an advisory board which will enable it to strengthen ties between the industry and the Walvis Bay Municipality.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency