Unlicensed taxis and tour operators are becoming a threat to the cruise liner tourism industry at Walvis Bay and Swakopmund.

Stakeholders report that tourists arriving via cruise ships frequently encounter disturbances from unauthorised operators competing for transportation and tour opportunities.

Representatives from the passenger cruise liner industry and other relevant stakeholders met in Swakopmund to address the obstacles hindering the sector and collaboratively devise viable solutions.

The presence of illegal taxis and unlicensed tour operators was a key focus during the meeting.

"They are really causing havoc there at the gate; they just come there, no papers, grabbing, and they are really making a nuisance of themselves to visitors, and that is where I said from us as Nampol, my concern is things must be done orderly; when it's chaos, then they will come to me reporting that you know people are being robbed, people are being pulled around. It's up to us—the tourism sectors are here, Nampol is here, the taxi associations, or whomever lets them come on board—so that they can also be part of the solution rather than cause problems," said Commissioner Nikolaus Kupembona, NamPol Regional Commander for the Erongo.

"We can have a loading system, especially with the taxis. You know, taxis are going to be registered with the local authority, which is Walvis Bay Municipality, under the traffic of the Walvis Bay municipality, and these taxis are going to be numbered when they have to load inside the port gates or inside the port area going out. This will obviously eliminate the chaos that is always caused outside the gates whereby clients are being pulled around and bullied around by taxi operators," added Kenneth Kapitako, owner of Sandwich Dune Tours and Safari.

For Hilmar Tonnemacher, co-owner of Abenteuer Afrika Safari, the solution is to take control. "We need control, so if you want to have success with taxis and additional tour operators, there must be a controlled space. That's the bottom line. If you want to make it work."

The Namibia Tourism Board Inspector for the Erongo Region, Fiona Amon, emphasised the need for any individual or company operating in the sector to be registered.

"And this means that you have public and passenger liability insurance when you load tourists in your car. You must be fully registered with the Namibia Tourism Board. You must have a public road carrier permit and a valid NTB disc. But the problem came when there was chaos, so we as the forum asked, What can we do outside? Can we not number the taxis and let these guys have a briefing before every ship arrives so that these guys are dressed presentably? If you see the way the taxi drivers are looking, you will even be afraid to get in his cab."

Namport's Manager for Business Development, Trevor Ndjadila, indicated that a committee has been set up to create a smooth transportation layout before the cruise liner season begins in October and continues until March 2024.