INFORMANTÉ |7
14 November - 20 November 2013
Working on the Aus-Keetmanshop road.
Tourist promotion a priority: //Kharas
Director of planning of the //Kharas Regional Council,
Joseph Stephanus
Maintenance being done on Rosh Pinah-Oranjemund road.
MORE focus has to be placed on
the promotion of tourism in the
//Kharas Region, with a special
emphasis on involving the people
of the South.
Currently, only 10% of all visitors to Namibia visit the //Kharas
Region, of whom 7% go to Lüderitz and 11% to the Fish River Canyon.
According to the director of
planning of the //Kharas Regional
Council, Joseph Stephanus, tourism in the region is mainly focused
around the most southern part and
western coastline of the region, at
the Fish River Canyon, the Namib Naukluft Park, /Ai-/Ais Hot
Springs Park, the Sperrgebiet, Lüderitz, Kolmanskop, the Orange
River, and the Orange River mouth.
“There are four registered
communal conservancies in the
//Kharas Region, and one emerging
conservancy. The communal conservancies in the south of Namibia
are not as well organised as some
of the northern conservancies. We
have to put in more effort to market
the other tourist attractions, which
should be done in co-operation
with the Namibia Tourism Board
(NTB),” said Stephanus.
He said existing and new tourism projects are planned for the
conservancy areas, mostly focusing on community campsites. “The
Brukkaros Community Camping
Site is possibly the best known
site, with the Brukkaros Mountain
as its main attraction. The site was
recently upgraded and now has two
chalets and five camping sites.”
Stephanus added that the #Nudi
campsite in the !Khob!Naub conservancy is still to be developed,
and after completion it will consist
of nine camping sites, and the main
attraction will be the quiver trees
and wildlife. It is situated a mere
kilometer-and-a-half from the B1
main road.
“The Snyfontein campsite is
completed and has eight camping
sites. The main attraction at Snyfontein is the Fish River, the Quiver
Tree Forest, and close proximity to
the proposed Neckartal Dam.”
According to Stephanus, there
is a need to extend the existing
/Ai-/Ais Richterveld Trans-Frontier
Park, which will help create a network of protected areas throughout
Southern Africa in order to conserve the region's unique and remarkable biological diversity, and
in some instances the cultural heritage as well.
He said new socio-economic
opportunities should be developed
for local communities in tourism,
by marketing and developing the
park as a regional destination that
offers visitors a variety of nature
and cultural based attraction, as
The Orange river along the Rosh Pinah-Oranjemund road
Kolmaskop is one of the tourist attractions
well as accessible cross border
linkages and tourism routes. The
Namibian component of the park
covers an area of 72 193 square
km, and includes urban areas such
as Lüderitz, Aus, Bethanie, Grünau,
Karasburg, Ariamsvlei, Vioolsdrift,
Warmbad, Noordoewer, Rosh
Pinah, and Oranjemund.
With regard to the road infrastructure in the South, Stephanus
said that plans are underway to tar
the road between Rosh Pinah and
Oranjemund. “This will definitely
also enhance tourism and visits to
the town of Oranjemund.”
The Keetmanshoop-Koës-MataMata road will also be a priority during the next financial year,
while maintenance is being done on
A site of Quiver trees in the //Kharas region
the Aus-Keetmanshoop road.
The council is also involved in
the establishing of a dry dock to be
located one kilometre from the centre of the town.
Approximately 150 hectares of
land have been made available
for this project, which would also
include a recreational centre for
truckers. “At the dry dock containers can be stored and we will also
provide cold storage facilities. A
proper feasibility study needs to
be conducted for this project,” said
Stephanus.
He pointed out that the logistic
and transport sector is critical to the
development of all sectors of the
economy, and therefore the council wants to ensure that this idea of
a dry dock/logistics hub at Keetmanshoop should be nurtured, and
that a full report of this project that
reflects a collective commitment
would see the light next year.