THE second spate of foreign tour hold-ups at Namibian borders because of a delay in the issuing of temporary work-visas has forced the tourism and business sector at Swakopmund to take the matter up with top-level Government officials.

Representatives of the tourism industry, the Swakopmund branch of the Namibian Chambers of Commerce and Industry and legal advisers met last week in Swakopmund to discuss the matter, which has a negative impact on the local economy.

A list of grievances and advice on how to deal with the issue will be compiled into a letter that will be sent to the Namibian President, the Ombudsman and the Ministers of Home Affairs, Environment and Tourism and Trade and Industry.

Although the Ministry of Home Affairs was identified as the culprit, particularly inefficiencies in the issuing of permits and visas, it was felt that other ministries also be engaged in solving the problem.

During the past two weeks about eight overlander trucks and busses wanting to enter Namibia from South Africa were stopped at Namibia's borders due to temporary visas that had not yet been issued. This is the second time this year that this problem has occurred. At the end of January over 40 overlander trucks and busses were stopped at the borders, with some even having been turned back.

Swakopmund, being one of Namibia's top tourism attractions, is suffering "big time" according to those who participated in last week's meeting. Accommodation establishments, adventure centres, tourism and retail shops and general services are losing out because of the hold-ups.

Most of the tourists coming to Namibia with overlanders have already paid for accommodation and other items on their itineraries. Due to the hold-ups, arrangements have to be amended - if not cancelled altogether.

According to one source, South African tourist operators are telling their Namibian counterparts that this is unacceptable and "not worth their while" coming to Namibia if something is not done about the problem.

"Namibia is losing ground as a reliable tourist destination because of this," a tourist operator, who did not want to be identified said.

"And this because of the snail-pace at which visas are being issued. The problem can be solved very easy if Home Affairs just start managing their affairs properly. All these tour operators want is their three month temporary work visas. They are professionals and are responsible for a lot of people who want to spend a lot of money in our country."

A source at the Tour and Safari Association of Namibia said it understood that the ministry was "under immense pressure" as a result of visa backlog, which appears to be the cause of the delay in visas being issued and distributed.

Countless visas had already been approved and paid for but were not yet issued by the ministry in Windhoek. It is for this reason that those operators coming to the borders and expecting to have their visas are not allowed in because the border control officers have not yet received the visas, resulting in the hold-up.