Crayfish festival an enabler of growth
Lüderitz Waterfront Development Company chief executive officer Fluksman Samuehl believes the Lüderitz Crayfish Festival will bring about a range of socioeconomic benefits to the residents, primarily in the tourism and hospitality industry.
“Economic sectors such as banking, the service delivery industry, small and medium enterprises (SMEs), shebeens and the transport industry will gain a great deal from the Lüderitz Crayfish Festival (LCF),” he said.
The CEO observed that the town becomes culturally alive during the festival, and that the optimal economic potential for the harbour town of Lüderitz will be endless as a result of hosting the event.
“People of all ages can look forward to making up for the lost time of the last two years without the festival,’’ said Samuehl.
He added that a wide range of exciting activities have been planned, such as the availability of top-class seafood produced locally, cultural exchanges, forging partnerships, entertainment of all sorts, sports and a beauty pageant, to mention but just a few. “The night live will be culturally vibrant once again,’’ he beamed.
Explaining the role of the LWDC, he said the entity’s inputs are based on elevating the quality and standards as the Lüderitz Crayfish Festival evolves. “We shall continue to share the historical knowledge at our display and our goodwill to enhance the appeal of the LCF,’’ said the founding member of the festival.
“The Lüderitz Waterfront boasts top-class indoor and outdoor facilities, and will continue to play being a good host of the LCF, as was the case since its inception in 2008,’’ he added.
Probed on what new projects and developments are planned for the LWDC,
the CEO responded that he remains optimistic about the future, and that the company holds a promising future for the //Kharas region in particular, and Namibia in general.
“The moment we know that the green hydrogen and oil projects will go ahead and the economic impact to the town is assessed properly, we shall aim to attract relevant private partners on the basis of private-public partnerships (PPPs),’’ he explained. Samuehl continued that they will then proceed with the development of the new 80-90 room seafront hotel overlooking the working harbour of Lüderitz, three blocks consisting of 50 waterfront flats to be sold at profits, as well as a seaview shopping centre, Medi-clinic and retirement village, amongst others. He said in preparation to implement these mega complementary projects, they (LWDC) have bought almost all prime seaview properties in the town’s central business district (CBD) in order to accommodate the mentioned waterfront development projects.
“We have already secured a go-ahead for these ambitious projects from Cabinet, whilst an environmental impact assessment was obtained already and feasibility studies have been completed accordingly,’’ he noted.
Samuehl also feels the LCF has grown in leaps and bounds, attracting many people of all ages in search of healthy seafood delicacies, top-quality leisure times, live entertainment and the unique Lüderitz hospitality that is accorded to all guests and visitors, as witnessed over the years. When explaining the brief history of the festival, Samuehl said the idea of having an LCF was mooted in early January 2008, and culminated in the maiden event during the end of April 2008.”
This came about after months of deep thinking, driven by the burning desire to see the harbour town of Lüderitz restyle and rebrand itself, with the Lüderitz Waterfront playing a catalyst role together with local stakeholders,’’ said the CEO.
He added that the management of the entity spent sleepless nights developing concepts that would sustain the idea, in addition to compiling proposals for buy-in by relevant institutions.