SPATIAL PATTERNS AND PROBLEMS IN CONTEMPORARY NAMIBIAN TOURISM

The emerging and rapidly expanding Namibian tourism sector has been in fluenced by core-periphery relationships at both the regional (i.e. So uth African dominated) and local (Namibian white elite) scale. Namibia n tourism space accordingly consists of: an inner core incorporating t he capital and primate city of Windhoek; an outer core, which correspo nds to the White-controlled commercial lands and contains most of the formal economy and accommodations beyond Windhoek; a state-controlled periphery of nature reserves, which are important attractions for ecot ourists; and a communal periphery which harbours a large proportion of the Black population, but almost no tourism services or activity. Eve n as Namibia moves increasingly toward a non-consumptive wildlife-base d tourism sector, government policies of 'national reconciliation', an open investment climate and privatization ensure continued control by the local and international (mainly South African) core, and thus the spatial dichotomy between the commercial core and the communal periph ery is perpetuated. Such a situation could eventually lead to widespre ad unrest among poor Blacks, which would threaten the viability of the tourism sector.