Ministry of Environment and Tourism’s Namibia Tourism Development Programme (NTDP) whose aim was to support tourism development in Namibia shortly after independence has come to an end.

The programme which was funded by the European Union to a total value of about N$4.2 million, was hosted within the Ministry’s Directorate of Tourism.

According to a Financing Agreement signed between the Namibian Government and the European Union (6040/NAM) in August 1998, the main areas to be supported by the programme were.

- Tourism Training-support to the Polytechnic Hotel School
- Community based tourism i.e. community lodges, upgrade of campsites and construction of information centres
- Support to Namibia Wildlife Resorts
- Protected areas, with particular emphasis on park planning
- Support to the Namibia Tourism Board

The programme’s Foundation Phase Stage 1 commenced in 1995, with an Annual Work Programme directed primarily at the establishment of both a commercialized resorts service- Namibia Wildlife Resorts and of a national tourism authority-Namibia Tourism Board. This work programme also funded the courses presented through the Hospitality Training Centre in partnership with the Polytechnic of Namibia.

Under Stage 2 of the annual work programme which commenced in July 1996, Deloitte & Touche (UK) was contracted to provide technical assistance to the programme.

During this stage, the programme consisted of four components namely:

- Training and Manpower Development
- Tourism Planning and Development
- Research and Statistics and Institution building

Originally the Foundation Phase was to be followed immediately by a three year Development Phase, however commencement the development phase was delayed after the signing of the Financing Agreement, thus bring the end of the programme at the end of June 2005.

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