The Executive Director in the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism, Sikongo Haihambo, says the National Tourism Spatial Development Master Plan will play a critical role in promoting a wider range of tourist attraction destinations, in so doing, preventing overtourism, as notably recorded in 2019, when Namibia received 1.5 million inbound tourists.

He highlighted the effect of overtourism, defined as when the number of tourists exceeds the country's capacity to comfortably accommodate them, which puts negative pressure on areas of high visitor concentration.

Overtourism occurs when a majority of tourists concentrate their visits on one or two popular destinations, such as Sossusvlei and Etosha National Park.

This leads to negative impacts on the environment, local communities, and the overall visitor experience.

It can also damage natural and cultural resources and threaten the long-term sustainability of the tourism sector.

Executive Director in the Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Tourism, Sikongo Haihambo, who was speaking at the Government Information Centre, says to address these challenges, the master plan will distribute tourism more evenly across all regions and attractions.

By doing so, it reduces the strain on heavily visited sites and promotes sustainable growth throughout the sector, ensuring that tourism benefits are balanced and that environmental and cultural assets are preserved.

The master plan further aims to create over 80,000 direct jobs in the tourism sector by 2030, up from the current 57,000.

He emphasised the unique opportunities presented by the master plan, particularly Namibia's rich cultural heritage and diversity, which are owned by Namibians and have strong appeal for tourists.

The National Tourism Spatial Development Master Plan is one of several strategic interventions designed to revive and strengthen the tourism sector post-pandemic.