08/10/2026
TOURISM AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVES FOR LÜDERITZ IN THE SPOTLIGHT
The leadership of the Lüderitz Waterfront Development Company (LWDC) continues to intensify its campaign for the attainment of socio-economic development, drawing national and international attention to the fact that the harbour town of Lüderitz matters on all fronts.
This emerged from a two-hour meeting between LWDC and the National Heritage Council of Namibia (NHC) in Windhoek on Wednesday, 7 October 2026. The NHC was established under Act No 27 of 2004 to protect, preserve and promote Namibian heritage.
During the engagement, the LWDC CEO, Mr Fluksman Samuehl, was accompanied by the Maritime Museum Curator, Mr Eino Ngesheya, and the Information and Tourism Manager, Ms Donna Hifitikeko.
Mr Samuehl informed the NHC management that LWDC's business is partly dependent on the protection and preservation of heritage, which translates into a tourism attraction at the harbour town of Lüderitz.
The two parties reflected deeply on the significance of the historical and heritage sites found in and around Lüderitz in the //Kharas Region. They agreed to work together to safeguard the value proposition of these heritage sites.
On her part, Ms Erica Ndalikokule, Director of the National Heritage Council of Namibia, commended the role played by LWDC and expressed the need to collaborate with LWDC on matters pertaining to the preservation of heritage sites in Namibia.
Mr Samuehl, who is a development practitioner and is enthusiastic about Namibia's economic development potential, proposed as far back as 2021 to introduce a Genocide Memorial Museum on Shark Island. His proposal followed the Government's declaration of Shark Island as a national heritage site.
The proposal formed part of the extensive discussions with the NHC. He elaborated that Shark Island is best placed to host Namibia's first-ever Genocide Memorial Museum. Given its dark history, Mr Samuehl further pointed out that Shark Island should become a distinct and sacred site of remembrance, and a profound education centre dedicated to preserving history and promoting global peace.
Lüderitz is a harbour town with a strong heritage history, but only if its potential is fully realised. To complete the tourist experience, a National Genocide Memorial Museum project ties in well with the ongoing state-funded Lüderitz Waterfront development and other local sites of historical significance that are frequented by visitors, particularly those from foreign countries. Cultural tourism continues to be one of the largest and fastest-growing global tourism markets.
By linking history, culture and tourism, the proposed Shark Island Genocide Memorial Museum has the potential to contribute to local economic development, national identity-building and international awareness.
Mr Samuehl pointed out that professionally managed genocide memorial museum projects have proven successful in post-conflict areas such as Bosnia, Cambodia and Rwanda. These memorial museums have become popular global destinations on the "remembrance tourism" map. In the context of the post-colonial Namibian state, Shark Island possesses huge potential for cultural tourism.
The new generation of museums is designed to be exciting to visit for all age groups and is a key catalyst for new service-based economies, as in the case of the West today.
Without doubt, this type of museum will be a popular destination in the area, joining existing tourist hotspots such as Kolmanskop, the "ghost town", the Maritime Museum under Lüderitz Waterfront, and Diaz Point. Travellers can learn about and appreciate the rich cultures of Southern Namibia. Cultural tourism is important for various reasons: it has a positive economic and social impact, establishes and reinforces identity, and helps to build image.
A formal proposal shall soon be submitted to the NHC for consideration.
National Heritage Council of Namibia · Namibia Maritime Museum
