Namibia is a post-Apartheid nation and has been independent of South Africa for nearly 30 years.
However huge imbalances of wealth and ownership remain.
In Namibia, the tourist industry accounts for something like 15% of Namibia's GDP, and nearly 20% of employment. The industry is heavily based on land ownership - the places where tourists stay and spend their money tend to be on privately-owned land.
Namibia suffered centuries of colonial subjugation, including the forcible removal of native people from the land and much, much worse, followed by Apartheid. One legacy if this is that very visibly, the vast majority of the tourist industry is owned by white people with European names, who employ black people (who serve mostly white tourists).
(In addition, historically, a large proportion of Namibia's GDP has left the country through the foreign ownership of industry, though I don't know to what extent this affects the tourist industry.)
What would be good ways for a foreign traveller in Namibia to help ensure as far as possible that the money they spend as tourists remains in the country, and that it supports businesses that are not just locally-owned, but also owned by historically disadvantaged segments of the population?
