Bright future for tourism
Newly appointed Gondwana Collection chief executive officer Gys Joubert is keen to grow the tourism group.
The Gondwana Collection has grown from its humble beginnings with the establishment of its Canyon Lodge in 1996 to one of the biggest tourism groups in Namibia.
This week, Namibian Sun sat down with its newly appointed chief executive officer, Gys Joubert, to talk about his new job, his expectations and his aspirations for the Gondwana Collection.
Joubert recently took over from founding CEO Manni Goldbeck, who had led the tourism group for close to 21 years.
Asked about his professional background, Joubert said he was an admitted lawyer and once earned a living as a legal advisor.
“I have a legal background. I am admitted in the High Court of Namibia and hold two master's degrees in law. I practised law for a few years. I guess it was a means to an end.
“After a few years of practice, I joined Bank Windhoek as a legal advisor. After five years I moved to the Capricorn Group. I worked as the assistant to the executive of Capricorn, including Koos Brandt, the chairman of Capricorn Group Holdings,” said Joubert.
According to him, his banking career prepared him adequately for his new role.
“Banking is an integral part of all industries. My past experience as a banker is invaluable. I will always be thankful to Capricorn. It gave me a fantastic foundation for my new role as CEO here at Gondwana.”
Joubert described his new role as exciting but extremely busy. “I have found my new role to be extremely busy, it is also exciting. It is going very well but even a little intimidating sometimes.”
Joubert said he would not change anything at Gondwana. “There will be no change in modus operandi. The Gondwana brand, culture, our views on sustainability, our bottom line down to managing the business, in my mind are sacred. It is who and what we are; there will be absolutely no change. My mandate is to grow the business, to grow the company.”
Describing the current landscape as exciting, Joubert said the local tourism industry was enjoying good fortune.
“Our outlook for growth is positive. We are blessed because we are looking at the best tourism season this country has ever experienced.”
He warned that any intended policy changes by the government would need to be closely scrutinised.
“Whatever we are doing nationally, we have to be very sensitive. The smallest change we make can have the biggest effect on our desirability.
“Brand Namibia is a very positive brand but we must do whatever we can to increase our brand value, we must do anything that will not compromise our Brand Namibia.”
Another area of concern for Joubert is a lack of sufficient establishments for tourists. “The high season is enormous, especially with the new flights that have been introduced.
“It has had a major positive impact but the risk is that Namibia does not have enough inventory, bed nights, and that is not good. We need more investment in the tourism industry.
“Tourism is probably the most sustainable form of export for Namibia. It earns us valuable foreign currency, but we are competing in a global market against other countries that are trying to attract the same tourists.
“We must constantly try to improve what we offer to make Brand Namibia an even more desirable destination.”
OGONE TLHAGE
This week, Namibian Sun sat down with its newly appointed chief executive officer, Gys Joubert, to talk about his new job, his expectations and his aspirations for the Gondwana Collection.
Joubert recently took over from founding CEO Manni Goldbeck, who had led the tourism group for close to 21 years.
Asked about his professional background, Joubert said he was an admitted lawyer and once earned a living as a legal advisor.
“I have a legal background. I am admitted in the High Court of Namibia and hold two master's degrees in law. I practised law for a few years. I guess it was a means to an end.
“After a few years of practice, I joined Bank Windhoek as a legal advisor. After five years I moved to the Capricorn Group. I worked as the assistant to the executive of Capricorn, including Koos Brandt, the chairman of Capricorn Group Holdings,” said Joubert.
According to him, his banking career prepared him adequately for his new role.
“Banking is an integral part of all industries. My past experience as a banker is invaluable. I will always be thankful to Capricorn. It gave me a fantastic foundation for my new role as CEO here at Gondwana.”
Joubert described his new role as exciting but extremely busy. “I have found my new role to be extremely busy, it is also exciting. It is going very well but even a little intimidating sometimes.”
Joubert said he would not change anything at Gondwana. “There will be no change in modus operandi. The Gondwana brand, culture, our views on sustainability, our bottom line down to managing the business, in my mind are sacred. It is who and what we are; there will be absolutely no change. My mandate is to grow the business, to grow the company.”
Describing the current landscape as exciting, Joubert said the local tourism industry was enjoying good fortune.
“Our outlook for growth is positive. We are blessed because we are looking at the best tourism season this country has ever experienced.”
He warned that any intended policy changes by the government would need to be closely scrutinised.
“Whatever we are doing nationally, we have to be very sensitive. The smallest change we make can have the biggest effect on our desirability.
“Brand Namibia is a very positive brand but we must do whatever we can to increase our brand value, we must do anything that will not compromise our Brand Namibia.”
Another area of concern for Joubert is a lack of sufficient establishments for tourists. “The high season is enormous, especially with the new flights that have been introduced.
“It has had a major positive impact but the risk is that Namibia does not have enough inventory, bed nights, and that is not good. We need more investment in the tourism industry.
“Tourism is probably the most sustainable form of export for Namibia. It earns us valuable foreign currency, but we are competing in a global market against other countries that are trying to attract the same tourists.
“We must constantly try to improve what we offer to make Brand Namibia an even more desirable destination.”
OGONE TLHAGE
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