Namibia has assured passenger cruise liners of a smooth entry process through the Walvis Bay Harbour this season.
The Ministry of Home Affairs Executive Director, Etienne Maritz, said staff members will be deployed from other regions to maintain high standards at the entry point.
The passenger cruise liner season begins in November, and runs until the following year in March.
One of the first vessels to arrive at the Walvis Bay harbour was AIDA, a German cruise liner.
It came with over 2,000 passengers.
The Erongo Tourism Task Force, which includes various stakeholders, met with the leaders of the vessel.
The Ministry of Home Affairs’ Executive Director, Etienne Maritz, described the arrival process as smooth, with most passengers spending mere seconds being processed.
“I want to give assurance that we maintain this standard, so when we have bigger passenger liners, we will just calculate, do some sums, and then we will deploy staff members from other regions to come and assist.”
Maritz reminded the visitors that as of April next year, German citizens will require visas to enter Namibia.
The company’s target market is 95% German citizens.
“I think those are the discussions that I would like to have with you, but on a company level, we make sure that in the future this standard that we have set today will be maintained, so please reach out to us.”
Other stakeholders revealed that efforts to boost services and ensure the safety of tourists are in place throughout the season.
During the previous cruise liner season, 29 vessels docked at the harbour, bringing close to 30,000 tourists.