Exorbitant fees for dilapidated heritage areas
Tour operators say no
Steep price increases for access to Namibia's heritage sites have the tourism industry hot under the collar.According to the industry, tourists are expected to pay more, but nothing is being done to renovate the areas. The new entrance fees that are now charged at heritage sites countrywide for the 2024-25 financial year appeared in the Government Gazette this month and will come into force on 1 April 2024.
Popular attractions such as Twyfelfontein will cost an adult foreign visitor N$270 on a guided tour, compared to just N$100 for the period from April 2020 to March 2022. A guided tour to the Organ Pipes or Brandberg costs N$250 for international tourists versus the previous price of N$50. For the Petrified Forest it is N$270 compared to N$100, and N$270 for a guided tour to the White Lady of Brandberg where it previously cost N$100. A guided tour to the highest point in Namibia, the Brandberg's Königstein peak, will cost an international visitor N$2 400 per day compared to the previous daily cost of N$1 500. A visit to the Hoba meteorite shoot up from N$50 to N$250. Where people used to be able to visit it on their own, it is now a guided tour.
Operators
Delphin Ilunga, the owner of Furaha Tours and Safaris in Namibia and chairman of the Tour and Safari Association of Namibia (TASA) says the industry in general is very agitated and disappointed by the price increases that have increased by more than 200% in less than two years. rose.
According to him, the increases were introduced without the industry being consulted on this and without any improvements being made to step up service delivery in the heritage areas.
Ilunga says many tour operators have now decided to completely remove these areas from their itineraries - which will lead to revenue losses.
Hans Soltau, a managing member at Exclusive Africa Tours and Safaris' Namibian branch, says they were already upset about the first price increases for the 2022-23 financial year. Soltau dismissed the increases as ridiculous and said nothing had been done at heritage areas in the past 20 years.
"And now, out of the blue, after Covid, they triple the prices and now make it even more expensive than ever while nothing changes at the heritage areas. People don't even want to go there anymore. People don't go to Twyfelfontein, they visit attractions at Kamanjab instead. Otjikoto, for example, has been neglected. I don't know why you have to pay N$250 to see it," he said.
No maintenance
Soltau says the National Heritage Council is responsible for the restoration and maintenance of the heritage areas, but does not do so.
“Tour operators don't go to these areas because it's simply too expensive. Even Etosha is cheaper and at least you can see something being done here sometimes. Nothing is done at the heritage sites. Their answer is simply that fees have not been increased for the past 15 to 20 and it is necessary now.
"No one has a problem with price increases if you see something change - if you see offices are properly maintained, they have guides who are properly trained and clean bathrooms. However, you can look at all these facilities, it's a nightmare!”
Francois Visser of Levo Tours described the price increases as "absolutely ridiculous".
"We are in the process of removing all these heritage sites from our travel plans. The reason is because the money does not justify the product. If you take Twyfelfontein as an example, with the new fees you pay N$270 per customer to see the rock engraving that takes you 45 minutes to walk through.
If you look at Lake Otjikoto (N$250) and the Hoba meteorite (N$250) that won't even keep you busy for ten minutes, it's not worth paying that kind of money. If you show a person Twyfelfontein, the Organ Pipes, Otjikoto and the meteorites, you are looking at more than N$1 000 per customer just to show them quickly," he said.
He also agreed that the heritage sites are in a poor condition.
Nathaly Ahrens, deputy chairman of TASA, says most tour operators have already removed the Burnt Mountain and the Organ Pipes from their tour plans. She agrees that the prices asked are not in proportion to the product offered.
The Heritage Council, for its part, says it is not aware of any concerns or any objections received about the revised price increases for the 2023-24. However, the council was informed of maintenance issues in the areas which are being attended to "as best as possible with limited funding".