Windhoek — The Deputy Minister of Environment and Tourism, Pohamba Shifeta, bemoaned the fact that customer service is poor in Namibia. "I must point out that we do not do well on customer service as Namibians, I am not impressed," he complained.

Shifeta was speaking at the seminar on sustainable tourism in Namibia at the Polytechnic of Namibia (PoN) this week. He emphasised that the issue of customer service is engrained in the National Tourism Policy and the guiding principle is that the human factor must be of prime importance.

"What we are selling in the tourism sector is essentially service," he said, adding that poor service is evident not only in the tourism sector, but also in the public and private sectors.

"We need to do more to become known as a tourism destination that provides superior and exceptional service to its visitors," he urged, adding that Namibians need to be trained in customer service, seeing that the current situation makes clients and visitors feel unwelcome and uncomfortable.

On a positive note, Shifeta hailed Namibia for being the only African country with an expanding, free roaming population of lions and giraffes, an expanding elephant population and the largest cheetah population in the world.

"The roster of wildlife conservation and achievements is long and proud," he said, adding that in the process, thousands of jobs have been created as well as real income earning opportunities in rural traditional homes.

In addition, Shifeta pointed out that Namibia would be host to a number of major international conferences this year including the 10th anniversary of the Adventure Travel World Summit in October, which for the first time will be hosted in Africa. The summit is 90 percent sold out, according to Shifeta. The summit would focus on how to make the adventure travel tourism industry a profitable, sustainable and planet friendly business with a focus on empowerment of people, protection of the environment and sustainable use of natural resources.

Namibia is also hosting a major water conference and the Conference of Parties (COP11) of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in September.

"Events and conferences are good for tourism and our exposure as a destination. With the right customer service I am sure many will want to return to the land of the brave," said Shifeta.

Furthermore, the rector of the Polytechnic of Namibia, Professor Tjama Tjivikua, said that quality service improvement is a critical success factor in the tourism and hospitality industry everywhere.

"Quality service will remain critical as we continue to grow a vibrant and sustainable industry and gain recognition and reputation in the world. We cannot achieve excellence in service without it being underpinned by consistent quality service inputs. It is that element of quality that determines whether we have created an experience that drives a customer away or repeatedly attract him/her back again," emphasised Tjivikua.

Moreover, Shifeta highlighted that Namibia's story of conservation is a global success story that echoes today across the continents and is seen as an example of how a nation and its biodiversity base can be transformed, leading to the greatest wildlife recovery story ever told. "We have hosted delegates from countries such as Mongolia, Nepal and the US among others, who came to Namibia to specifically learn about our conservation policies and how they are implemented," he boasted.

"Much of the focus of our visitors has been on learning about our Community Based Natural Resource Management programme and our joint venture lodges in particular. Namibia has received many international awards, such as the Markhor award for conservation," added Shifeta.

He went on to say that the multiplier effect of tourism is powerful and is experienced everyday through the transformation and empowerment of all Namibians from urban to rural areas. This transformation has been most visible in the conservancy sectors where trophy hunting, cultural tourism and joint ventures are transforming rural development, according to Shifeta.