THE tourism industry has invested about N$35,7 million in the sector during 2009 and altogether N$5,6 billion in total over the past two decades and is experiencing good growth, according to Werner Beddies, Chairperson of the Hospitality Association of Namibia (HAN).

The Association is held its annual congress yesterday to discuss successes, challenges and opportunities in the industry.

Opening the congress, Environment and Tourism Minister Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah said Government remained committed to developing the tourism sector further with the private sector, but rural community tourism should receive an even stronger emphasis.

"We now have 60 community conservancies in rural areas with 230 000 people participating and they generated an income of N$40 million in 2008," Nandi-Ndaitwah told the HAN delegates.

The income came from photo tourism, trophy hunting, accommodation and sales of crafts.

The Minister said the private tourism sector still needs to work to erase the perception that it is white dominated, while she appreciated the black economic empowerment (BEE) partnerships and bursaries taking place.

"We all have to protect the environment and Namibia's biodiversity and sensitive ecosystems. We (the tourism and environmental sector) are aggressively competing with the mining sector, especially uranium mining, which we unfortunately find in one of our most sensitive and most attractive ecological areas."

Coenraad Strydom of Standard Bank Namibia gave a brief overview of credit card fraud, which has hit the local tourism sector hard.

"These fraudsters come from places like Sri Lanka and are highly professional in the way they operate," Strydom said.

According to HAN Chairman Werner Beddies, his organisation has held talks with all banks in Namibia to find a uniform way of handling credit card payments to decrease fraud.

"By next week we will have a manual put together for tourism businesses and banks will also work towards one unified way to handle credit cards. So far each of the commercial banks has its own way to do so," Beddies said.