Author: Stalin Kay

Windhoek, 18 May 2020 – Namibia Wildlife Resorts (NWR) Torra Bay campsite which was set to open from 16 – 24 May 2020, could not open due to some unforeseen circumstances.

 

Dr Matthias Ngwangwama, NWR Acting Managing Director, says, “I would like to sincerely apologise to all our clients that had already started travelling to Torra Bay or were intending to travel there during the week. I do realise that this is unwelcome news though the matter at hand was beyond our control. I, therefore, encourage them to get in touch with our reservations department where they can either re-book their stay at any one of our other properties or request a refund”.

 

Windhoek, 17 May 2020 – Contrary to media reports and public speculation, Namibia Wildlife Resorts (NWR) would like to inform the public that one of its employees, Mr Lilungwe Brighton Tembwe, who passed on 15 May 2020 and was based at its Hardap resort, did not die from Covid-19. NWR would like to reiterate that the first group that was isolated at its Hardap resort for more than fourteen days, between 25 March and 9 April 2020, were all released without showing any symptoms of Covid-19.

 

“Mr Tembwe was one of our most friendly and committed employee and was always ready to be of assistance. Therefore, as a company, we have lost one of our valuable staff members. At the same time, we would like to send our condolences to his family and friends. They should be consoled in knowing that Brighton, as he was fondly known, will be dearly missed,” says Dr Matthias Ngwangwama, NWR Acting Managing Director.

 

“Before his death, Mr Tembwe had expressed his desire to continue serving our clientele to the best of his abilities. After having distinctively done so for over 11 years, I know he was going to excel for many more years to come,” says Mr Sunday Nelenge, NWR Hardap Resort Manager.

 

Windhoek, 1 July 2020 – Namibia Wildlife Resorts (NWR) has been hard at work in addressing some limitations it identified within some of its resorts in the Etosha National Park. At the same time, NWR has been preparing its soon to be launched Hospitality Institute (Hi) for later this year.

With the absence of tourists at various resorts due to travel restrictions that were instituted by the Namibian Government aimed at safeguarding Namibian lives, NWR saw an opportunity to fast-track the work it had begun before the travel restrictions were introduced. So far, Okaukuejo has seen the renovation of the campsite ablution and field kitchen. At Halali, attention has been placed on improving the look and feel of the resort.

 

Mrs Sophia Burger, Hardap Resort Assistant Manager, was very grateful for the experience and the manner that her team came together to assist in contributing towards this national cause. She wanted to assure future Hardap resort guests that the resort has been disinfected and sanitised by the Ministry of Health and Social Services to ensure their safety. “No one should be afraid to come and pay us a visit after the lockdown has been removed”, said Mrs Burger.

 

Dr Matthias Ngwangwama, NWR Acting Managing Director, drove to the resort to inspect the disinfection process and ensure that the resort was indeed in a position to host future guests. He was very grateful towards the Government for entrusting NWR with such an essential role. “I would like to assure potential visitors to the Hardap resort that the place remains safe as all 40 isolated guests were released without any symptoms. I want to pay homage to our employees who, in my eyes, are heroes and heroines who were at the frontline, taking care of the quarantined guests during their 14-day stay at the resort,” said Dr Ngwangwama.

 

“These renovations aimed to ensure that we can give our guests the best possible experience when they visit us. With the opening of the National Parks, we would like to encourage families to visit us as we currently have a special where all our rooms excluding food and beverages are N$ 600 (except Khorixas single rooms, Hardap dormitories, Shark Island Lighthouse and Mile 108 Fisherman chalets). Our campers will be happy to know that they will only pay N$ 100 per person”, highlighted Dr Matthias Ngwangwama, NWR Acting Managing Director.

 

At the same time, NWR has been working in finalising its soon to be launched Hospitality Institute, which will focus on addressing the service levels within the organisation. The institute is a strategic intervention to increase customer service levels within the company. “One of the challenges raised within the tourism sector is the weak service levels. Therefore, as an organisation, we have made an intentional decision to remedy this by ensuring that our team members undergo periodic training in order to equip them with the right skill set. Thus far, we have already started building capacity amongst our leadership team. Therefore, the public must be on the lookout as we put everything in motion to launch our Hospitality Institute” says Dr Ngwangwama.

Windhoek, 13 April 2020 – Namibia Wildlife Resorts (NWR) is pleased to inform the public that the 40 guests that were isolated at its Hardap Resort from 25 March 2020 up until 9 April 2020 were all safely released without showing any symptoms of COVID-19.

 

During their stay, many guests expressed their great appreciation towards the resort staff with Mr Jochen Berends, who was one of the guests staying there saying “It’s time to go home. I just finished the 14-day quarantine at NWR Hardap Resort. Many thanks to the NWR team for the professional service”.

 

 

Mrs Sophia Burger, Hardap Resort Assistant Manager, was very grateful for the experience and the manner that her team came together to assist in contributing towards this national cause. She wanted to assure future Hardap resort guests that the resort has been disinfected and sanitised by the Ministry of Health and Social Services to ensure their safety. “No one should be afraid to come and pay us a visit after the lockdown has been removed”, said Mrs Burger.

 

Dr Matthias Ngwangwama, NWR Acting Managing Director, drove to the resort to inspect the disinfection process and ensure that the resort was indeed in a position to host future guests. He was very grateful towards the Government for entrusting NWR with such an essential role. “I would like to assure potential visitors to the Hardap resort that the place remains safe as all 40 isolated guests were released without any symptoms. I want to pay homage to our employees who, in my eyes, are heroes and heroines who were at the frontline, taking care of the quarantined guests during their 14-day stay at the resort,” said Dr Ngwangwama.

Windhoek, 28 March 2020 – Namibia Wildlife Resorts (NWR) was requested to lockdown its Hobas Lodge on 27 March 2020 to safeguard its staff and visitors after a guest who had visited the lodge between 17 – 19 March 2020 had tested positive for COVID-19. To ensure that no staff or visitor had contracted the virus, the Health Professionals from the Ministry of Health and Social Services Keetmanshoop District office visited the resort to assess the situation.

 

“We are pleased to inform the public that our employees that came into contact with the guest did not show any signs and symptoms of COVID-19 however they were advised to stay in isolation for 14 days. During the visit, health education was given on early detection of signs and symptoms of COVID-19, in addition to preventative measures (social distancing, hand hygiene and cough etiquette). We were assured that the Hobas lodge could re-open,” says Dr Matthias Ngwangwama, NWR Acting Managing Director.

 

Windhoek, 27 March 2020 – Namibia Wildlife Resorts (NWR) has had to lockdown its Hobas Lodge after a French Tourist that travelled to Namibia and stayed at the lodge from 17 – 19 March 2020 has since tested positive for COVID-19.

 

To safeguard NWR staff and guests, a team of Health Professionals from the Ministry of Health and Social Services Keetmanshoop Regional office has travelled to the lodge to map the way forward. “We would like to assure our staff and guests that we are doing everything possible to secure their safety. Equally, we would like to advise any of our guests that were intending to travel to Hobas to get in touch with any of our reservation’s offices to amend their bookings even during the lockdown period as we have put in the necessary measures to attend to them,” says Dr Matthias Ngwangwama, NWR Acting Managing Director.

 

Windhoek, 25 March 2020 – On 14 March 2020 Namibia recorded its first case of COVID-19. On the same day the Namibian Head of State, President Hage Geingob put in place measures to safeguard the lives of the Namibian nation. However, on 24 March 2020, Namibia had seven confirmed cases of COVID-19. With the increase of COVID-19 cases, Dr Geingob further announced measures aimed at curbing the rise of COVID-19 incidences within the country. Namibia Wildlife Resorts (NWR), a State-Owned Enterprise, has come to aid the Government in its hour of need.

 

“With the reduction in tourist arrivals into the country and the seemingly increasing need for isolation facilities for Namibians who will require clean and well-equipped isolation facilities, we saw it necessary to offer of one of our facilities to be utilised by the Government. With the Hardap resort being close to the Mariental Hospital, from where medical services can easily be provided, we believe that the 54 rooms, with 220 beds, ranging from dormitory rooms to family chalets with self-catering facilities would provide the necessary isolation environment needed,” says Dr Matthias Ngwangwama, NWR Acting Managing Director.

 

“This measure is aimed at assisting the Government in these trying times. We believe that each corporate citizen should play its part to reduce the further spread of the virus. After the virus has been brought under control, NWR will thoroughly sanitise the facility and acquire approval from the Ministry of Health and Social Services before it is re-opened to the public” says Mufaro Nesongano, NWR Corporate Communications, Online Media and Sponsorships Manager.

Windhoek, 16 March 2020 – The World Health Organisation recently declared Coronavirus (COVID-19) a pandemic and Namibia recorded its first Coronavirus cases on 14 March 2020. On the same day the Namibian Head of State, President Hage Geingob put in place measures to safeguard the lives of the Namibian nation.

 

“The measures put in place by the Head of State require us to safeguard our staff and guests. Therefore, as NWR, we have been sensitising our employees at the resorts to ensure that we continue adhering to our strict hygiene levels. At the centre of our business is the wellbeing of our staff and guests” says Dr Matthias Ngwangwama, NWR Acting Managing Director.

 

With some clients amending or cancelling their bookings, NWR has updated its cancellation policy to speak to the changing environment. Therefore, clients are welcome to get in touch with any NWR booking office where they will be assisted on the way forward.

 

“As a company, we are cognizant that the Coronavirus is going to have a direct impact on our business in the coming months. It is for this reason that we have decided to extend our Independence discount of 70% to April 2020 as well. We believe that this will present our domestic market an opportunity to visit us if they did not have an opportunity to do so in March. Also, foreign tourists who find themselves confined in Namibia for whatever reasons are free to extend their stay at any of our establishments” concludes Dr Matthias Ngwangwama.

Windhoek, 9 March 2020 – The drive towards guest satisfaction through operational and service excellence, aligning company culture to a service-oriented culture and making customer experience seamless are key focus areas of Namibia Wildlife Resorts (NWR) going forward. Achieving these objectives requires continuous staff training. Within this context, reservation consultants, resort managers, stock controllers, finance personnel, ICT personnel and procurement personnel are currently undergoing training on the upgraded version of its reservation and operational system known as Innkeeper. The training is being conducted by Professional Software Distribution (PSD) and some members of NWR ICT department.

 

“With the recent updates to the reservation system, we thought it prudent to ensure to firstly capacitate our staff before we officially rollout of the system to avoid any major challenges. PSD has assured us that the system they are training us on has been tested over the past two years at other establishments thereby assuring us that we are not being used as a testing ground” said Dr Matthias Ngwangwama, NWR Acting Managing Director.

 

NWR’s Sales and Reservations Manager, Mrs Anna Onen who already attended the training noted that “through the training, I was able to get a better insight on how the upgraded system will greatly assist us in better serving our customers”.

Windhoek, 5 March 2020 – During the period from 17 to 26 February 2020, Namibia Wildlife Resorts (NWR) leadership team underwent an introspection concerning progress on implementing its 2017 – 2022 Strategic Plan. In particular, the retreat aimed to assess progress made at achieving NWR mandate, vision, mission and core values as well as what can be improved to live up to the Tourism Industry norms and standards.

 

“With the volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous business environments of the 21st Century, we as a business saw an opportunity to introspect on how we have fared ever since we developed our Strategic plan three years ago. So many changes have taken place within the sector, and the drive towards guest satisfaction through operational and service excellence, aligning the company culture to a service-oriented culture and making the customer experience seamless are key focus areas going forward” said Dr Matthias Ngwangwama, NWR Acting Managing Director.

 

Equally, during the retreat, NWR took time to pay attention to possible mitigation strategies to deal with the effects of the Coronavirus that has profoundly impacted the tourism sector. “It was an opportunity for us to ensure that our team is ready to achieve our key objectives within the next year. One thing that I must say is that I was pleased to see how team members that attended the retreat showed a burning desire to rededicate themselves to serving our clients in the best way possible” said Dr Ngwangwama.