International tourist arrivals at Sossusvlei have increased in 2022 compared to the past two years.

The COVID-19 pandemic wrecked the sector, and there will be no tourist arrivals in 2020.

Sossusvlei in southern Namibia is internationally famous for having spectacular landscapes.

Tourists flock here to see and climb some of the tallest sand dunes in the world.

The area is home to Deadvlei, where ancient dead camelthorn trees are found, and it is a paradise for photographers.

Vendors at the Swakopmund Nedbank Food Festival have commended the organizers for empowering them.

Most of the vendors were negatively affected by the lockdown regulations of the COVID-19 pandemic over the past two years.

The Nedbank Food Festival in Swakopmund attracted hundreds of visitors over the past three days.

This is the fourth year the festival has been on the town's December event calendar.

Foodies did not lack, as the event offered options.

The Argentinian grill was among the favorites while the local Kapana was also sought after.

The Namibia Wildlife Resorts and the Namibia Public Workers Union signed a new wage agreement that will see increases in the number of their benefits for the 2022–23 financial year.

The parties also agreed to reinstate overtime and travel allowances, which had been suspended due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In terms of the agreement, employees in the bargaining unit on job grade A will receive a 13% salary increment, while the salaries for those in grades B, C, and D will increase by 7%, 4.6%, and 2.5%, respectively.

Donors and volunteers in the community of Omatjete settlement in the Erongo Region have completed renovations of a health center.

Dr Kalumbi Shangula, Minister of Health and Social Services, has praised the community's charitable spirit as it improves service delivery.

At the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the community of Omatjete realized the need to strengthen public health care as the clinic was overloaded.

Traditional leaders and the Omatjete Initiative Committee mobilized community members and relatives from abroad to donate money and their services.

Namports' Chief Executive Officer says global growth is expected to slow from 6% in 2021 to 3% this year. It is further expected to decline to 2% in 2023.

Kanime says, as a result, rising inflation rates pose a serious risk to the company's future, particularly acute in the US and Europe, where authorities are tightening general financial conditions and fiscal spending in response to the growing need to contain runaway inflation.

In the case of China, he says, this has been aggravated by its zero-tolerance policy for COVID-19, which has seen continued lockdowns.

The Minister of Works and Transport, John Mutorwa, says the aviation industry is in need of a unified approach to survival and growth, following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mutorwa said this at the opening of the Aviation and Connectivity Forum, where he was joined by the Finnish Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade, Ville Skinnar.

Trade unions should reposition themselves to become relevant beyond the workplace.

This is one of the recommendations contained in a report on the impact of COVID-19 on workers and trade unions.

Namibia, like most developing countries, was unprepared when the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

A report by the Labor Resource and Research Institute (LaRRI) in collaboration with the International Labour Organization (ILO) revealed that the virus caused havoc.

Employees fell sick, and many others died.

The Minister of Health and Social Services, Dr Kalumbi Shangula, says the government has never stopped its surveillance activities to track COVID-19 in the country. 

This comes in response to a question from LPM National Assembly member Henny Seibeb, who stated that he received a text message from a medical doctor about the resurgence and prevalence of COVID-19 in Namibia. 

Namibia has recorded 110 positive cases from over 3000 tests conducted in the month of October.

Of the 110 positive cases recorded, 100 were new cases, while the other ten were reinfections.

They were reported from nine regions.

Eleven are learners, four are healthcare workers, three are teachers, and one is a student.

Six cases have received one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, and 37 are fully vaccinated, of which 16 have received a booster dose.

Nine cases are not eligible for vaccination, while 58 cases were not vaccinated.

Social media has become a key driver of the tourism sector, as over 70% of bookings are currently done online.

This is after having to explore innovative and safe ways to stabilize the sector during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Namibia currently has over 100,000 online booking establishments.
    
Namibia Media Holdings CEO Albe Botha says booking online has allowed for easier cancellation policies.

This has however also posed a challenge for some establishments to plan, while those that do not have cancellation policies tend to lose out on customers.