RTEA Namibia Sectoral Paper - Ecotourism and the Informal Carbon Market: Is the Climate Right for Change?

This policy brief discusses the results of a rapid trade and environment assessment in Namibia, highlighting the risk that climate change concerns among international tourists—particularly from Europe—could damage the national tourism economy. It argues that Namibia must move beyond 'business as usual' to become a world-leading destination by implementing a national policy on climate change and tourism, promoting carbon-neutral products, and integrating climate considerations into existing regulatory bodies and development plans.

• A rapid trade and environment assessment in Namibia has identified potential green opportunities and threats from technical standards and international trade law, prompting new collaboration between sectors including energy, water, agriculture, environment, tourism, and international trade.
• Namibia's tourism economy faces a risk of deterioration because international tourists, particularly those from Europe, are increasingly concerned about how their travel contributes to global warming.
• To avoid losing market share and sector decline, Namibia is encouraged to move away from 'business as usual' and instead develop as a world-leading destination by aligning the tourism sector with consumer concerns regarding global warming.
• The policy brief recommends several strategic actions for the tourism sector, including the creation of a national policy on climate change and tourism, the establishment of a national body to oversee the quality of carbon-neutral and carbon-offset products, and the integration of climate issues into the Environmental Management Act and the Namibia Tourism Board.
• The document suggests that tourism products should demonstrate high levels of sustainable environmental management, contribute to poverty alleviation and conservation, and minimize greenhouse gas emissions or achieve carbon neutrality.

APA

Davidson,, A. (2009). RTEA Namibia Sectoral Paper - Ecotourism and the Informal Carbon Market: Is the Climate Right for Change? International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/rtea-namibia-sectoral-paper-ecotourism-and-informal-carbon-market-climate-right

Chicago

Davidson,, Andee. RTEA Namibia Sectoral Paper - Ecotourism and the Informal Carbon Market: Is the Climate Right for Change? International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2009. https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/rtea-namibia-sectoral-paper-ecotourism-and-informal-carbon-market-climate-right.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Davidson, |first1=Andee |title=RTEA Namibia Sectoral Paper - Ecotourism and the Informal Carbon Market: Is the Climate Right for Change? |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=17 November 2009 |url=https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/rtea-namibia-sectoral-paper-ecotourism-and-informal-carbon-market-climate-right |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{davidson2009rtea, author = {Davidson,, Andee}, title = {{RTEA Namibia Sectoral Paper - Ecotourism and the Informal Carbon Market: Is the Climate Right for Change?}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2009}, month = nov, url = {https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/rtea-namibia-sectoral-paper-ecotourism-and-informal-carbon-market-climate-right}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }