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Namibia: Bed and breakfast Association Assumes New Name
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New Era (Windhoek)
25 July 2008
Posted to the web 25 July 2008
Irene !hoaës
Windhoek
The Minister of Environment and Tourism, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah says the Bed and Breakfast Association of Namibia has taken on the challenge of providing these types of accommodation with remarkable success.
Nandi-Ndaitwah's remark was made on her behalf yesterday during the renaming of the Bed and Breakfast Association of Namibia to Accommodation Association Namibia (AAN).
Nandi-Ndaitwah said the services provided by the AAN to its members and to the industry are very important.
Throughout the years, the association is said to have undergone many changes and has grown in stature, particularly after merging with the Budget and Home Accommodation of Namibia in 1994, expanding its services to cover the rest of the country.
The association reached another milestone when it joined the Federation of Namibian Tourism Association (FENATA), ensuring that the small-and-medium enterprises sector becomes part of the formal industry.
"The steady growth of tourist numbers augers well for the tourism industry, in particular accommodation establishments and therefore makes the presence of the Accommodation Association of Namibia much more imperative," Nandi-Ndaitwah added.
The tourism industry in Namibia has been experiencing steady growth over the years, as tourist numbers have grown from 833345 in 2006 to 928912 in 2007, which is an 11 percent increase.
The Chairman of AAN, Neville Nevelling, said the association's membership base now includes a variety of product providers such as tour operators, car rental companies, event managers and salons.
"It is because of this reason that we have to look at the name of the association in order for it to be more representative of our members," said Nevelling.
The AAN chairman noted that industry is rapidly changing and service providers are confronted with new challenges everyday, which he attributes to globalisation.
"The operators and agents are because of the new travel laws being implemented in Europe and elsewhere, now requesting Services Level Agreements and Supply Chain Agreements," he stated.
Nevelling cautions that this now calls for greater responsibility and a new emphasis on quality and standards, adding that transparency of financial transactions too has an impact.
The Bed and Breakfast Association of Namibia was established in 1991.
Bed and Breakfast accommodation is generally provided in private homes or in premises adjacent to private homes.
One of the characteristics of bed and breakfast accommodation is that the home in which the accommodation is provided is thus a "home away from home".
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Through the informality of this type of accommodation, visitors are able to learn something about their host country first-hand.
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