Global Crisis Takes Toll on Trophy Hunting - by Fifi Rhodes

21 April 2009 From The New Era


WINDHOEK – The global credit crunch threatens to impede the short- to medium-term development of trophy hunting in the country. Local operators are reporting an increase in the cancellation and postponement of advance trophy hunting safari bookings for the 2009 and 2010 seasons.

Namibia’s trophy hunting operators have just concluded a less productive annual pre-season marketing drive in Europe and the US, which takes place between January and March.

In an interview with New Era, executive committee member of the Namibia Professional Hunting Association (NAPHA), Marina Lamprecht, says the feedback from hunting operators is of a grim season this year and next year.

Trophy hunting operators use the hunting conventions in the US, France, Germany and Asia to market Namibia’s world-renowned trophy hunting industry.

“The prospects for the international safari industry have been negatively affected by the current global economic challenges. At most conventions the attendance by potential buyers, and bookings, were drastically down,” said Lamprecht. The entire tourism sector is facing a grim season as a result of the global economic crisis.

Chief Executive Officer of the Namibia Tourism Board Digu //Naobeb, together with the Executive Officer of the Federation of Namibian Tourism Associations Jackie Asheeke, have recently hinted at a troubled tourism industry for this year.

Air Namibia has already seen a 15 percent decrease in forward bookings compared to 2008.

“Since our national airline carries 80 percent of tourists travelling via Europe, this will have a significant impact on the trophy hunting industry,” said Lamprecht.

Yet it was the attendance at prominent trophy hunting conventions, such as this year’s Safari Club International (SCI) Hunters Convention in Reno, Nevada, US, which experienced far fewer attendees than last year, although 1 100 booths were featured.

Namibia is consistently one of the most represented countries at the SCI convention, with 36 outfitters exhibiting at the recent convention. SCI is the largest hunting organisation with over 55 000 members and 188 chapters, representing all the 50 USA states. SCI has presence in 19 different countries in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe and South and North America.

Namibia had 33 trophy hunting operators at the SCI convention together with the Minister of Environment and Tourism, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah.

The minister spent three days at the show attending various meetings with the executives of Safari Club International, as well as interacting with all the Namibian outfitters in their booths.

Further, 38 Namibian trophy hunting operators also participated in the annual German hunting convention, Jagd und Hund in Dortmund. Namibia also took part in hunting and outdoor shows held in France, Canada, Scandinavia and Asia.

Lamprecht says “attendance and bookings by prospective hunting clients, at all these shows, were much lower than usual”.

Traditionally, German tourists made up the largest trophy hunting tourists to Namibia but in the last 10 years American hunting tourists to Namibia increased by more than 900 percent compared to 127 percent increase in German hunting tourists.

German hunting tourists increased from 1 490 to 1 905 tourists compared to the increase of 155 to 1 516 American hunting tourists.

Lamprecht said over recent years Namibia has become one of the most popular hunting destinations in Southern Africa, due to its political stability, and Namibian hunting professionals are internationally recognised as the best trained and ethical in the world.

The professionalism of the hunters is due to the high standard and thorough theoretical and practical hunting examinations by the Namibian Ministry of Environment and Tourism.

“One of the other contributing factors is that our national hunting association, NAPHA, is widely recognised as one of the most active and successful associations of its kind.