UN International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development

Namibia is the country I have called home for the past 26 years. It is a beautiful place, with vast, scenic landscapes largely undeveloped that serve as habitats for an abundance of wild flora and charismatic megafauna. It is the destination Chelsea Clinton and her husband, Marc Mezvinsky, chose for their honeymoon, and the nation where Angelina Jolie gave birth to daughter Shiloh. More and more people are discovering and traveling to this great nation each year. That is why we are very excited the United Nations designated 2017 as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development. We hope that this distinction will raise awareness about the need to continue conserving our planet’s natural resources. Here in Namibia, those resources include our wildlife species, but especially the cheetah.

Namibia is home to more than a third of the planet’s remaining wild cheetahs. For the thousands who travel here each year, cheetahs are one of the major draws to the country along with the abundant wildlife and wide open spaces. People journey from far corners of the Earth to see the cheetah in its natural habitat. For many, myself included, there’s nothing as beautiful as watching this majestic creature running flat out at maximum speed across open savannah. This is why Namibia has earned the reputation of being “Cheetah Capital of the World.”

Recognizing popular interest in this species and knowing that sharing our work helps fulfill Cheetah Conservation Fund’s (CCF) mission of generating awareness for the species’ plight, our Field Research and Education Centre in Otjiwarongo, Namibia, is open to the public 364 days a year. In 2016, we received more than 10,000 international visitors (see photo below)-- an all-time high – and the numbers are rising steadily each year. These visitors include young learners and tourists from Namibia and many other countries in Africa, as well as those from the U.S., France, Germany, the U.K., Belgium, the Netherlands, Canada, Australia, Switzerland, Russia, China, and many other countries.

While the majority of these visitors spend just the day at CCF, many choose to remain overnight or for a few nights at our exclusive Babson Guest House. Many stay a week and many more choose to spend a couple of weeks or months in one of our modern volunteer guest accommodations. But they all come for the same reasons, to see cheetah and learn more about this gorgeous icon of speed and grace.

Every day CCF proves that tourism can help sustain cheetah conservation activities in Namibia. Guests pay a nominal fee to enter CCF. They eat lunch in our Cheetah Café and buy souvenirs in our Cheetah Gift Shop. Overnight guests pay for their accommodations and meals just like at a hotel or lodge. Funds generated support CCF’s conservation and research programs, which in turn help sustain the local economy by providing jobs for Namibians and others who serve visitors and administer programs. CCF recognizes the potential of tourism in Namibia and throughout southern and eastern Africa which is becoming a force for sustainable development. Increasing human livelihoods, when strategically managed, will help cheetah populations rebound.

As tourists are increasingly becoming seasoned international travellers, they become more discerning and choose those destinations that can provide a more memorable experience and good value for their money. This summer we are excited to open a new deluxe facility, Cheetah View Lodge, for overnight guests that will consist of five upscale units with private baths and breath-taking views of the Greater Waterberg Plateau. Visitors who choose to stay in our new lodging will be able to enjoy meals at a private dining facility with the same incredible vista. We hope you will support the cheetah and this emerging trend of sustainable tourism by visiting us here in Cheetah Country in 2017.