The Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Tourism has announced plans to host the Etosha Carnival at Etosha in July 2024 in collaboration with key stakeholders in efforts to revitalise the tourism sector.
Its spokesperson, Romeo Muyunda, in a statement on Thursday, said the event will be held in collaboration with the Ondonga Traditional Authority, Namibia Tourism Board and other identified stakeholders.
‘Having learned the hard way from the Covid-19 experience, the event aims to diversify tourism products offerings and new markets to attract more local travellers and at the same time, increase international tourist arrivals and regional spread. The carnival presents an opportunity to celebrate and showcase Namibia’s cultural and heritage diversity,’ the statement read.
The event will be held at the Kangonde salt pan in Onanke village.
In preparation, a series of gala dinners have been planned to raise funds for the successful hosting of the inaugural cultural carnival, Muyunda said.
The spokesperson
noted that the ministry is inviting contributions from the business community, the tourism sector, and individuals interested in reserving tables for the gala dinner. Tickets are priced at N.dollars 20 000 for platinum tickets, N.dollars 15 000 for gold, and N.dollars 500 for an individual ticket.
In addition to showcasing Namibia’s cultural diversity, the carnival is expected to host an array of activities including skydiving, cultural performances; a Namibian traditional cook-out competition; horse riding; totem parade; boma story telling; and traditional games such as owela.
The carnival will be hosted in line with the National Sustainable Tourism Growth and Development Strategy 2016-2026 and the Namibia Tourism Sector Recovery Plan 2022-2024. These strategies recommend the creation of new tourism routes and the expansion of tourism product offerings, including the development of cultural and heritage tourism, with a particular focus on attracting domestic tourists to the region, Muyunda stated.
Source:
The Namibian Press Agency