- Gondwana Sperrgebiet Rand Park/ News 23.11.06



		News 200623.11.06

"Piet Swiegers is Mr. Aus" - 23.11.06
Piet Swiegers has been voted Personality of the Year 2006 by the Hospitality Association of Namibia (HAN). This was announced last Saturday at the annual HAN Gala Evening at the Safari Court Hotel in Windhoek. HAN Chairman Willem de Wet gave the following reasons for the Association's choice:

"In a nutshell, Piet is awarded this prestigious HAN Personality award because of his longstanding loyalty to HAN and industry as a whole; furthermore for his compliance to the Industry Transformation charter through his efforts to revive Aus and thirdly for his strong conservation spirit which contributes tremendously to the preservation of the hotspot Aus. He has encouraged a community that was desolate to raise and become – they structured themselves and today through substantial funding from the EU – the Aus Information Centre has

HAN Chairman Willem de Wet (right) congratulates Piet Swiegers.

brought yet another sign of optimism for the community. Piet mentored the Aus community to form a Trust which is today the owner of the Aus Information Centre, creating employment for community members and providing the area with yet another reason to be visited. He is a true pioneer in community development.

He plays a pivotal role as an ambassador for Aus, assisting the media with relevant information, picture material and educational and more. He is 'Mr. Aus'. He is a man of integrity and passionate about tourism. His business is governed by sound business principles – the 3-legged approach – Social, Environmental and Financial leg. Klein Aus Vista is a praiseworthy, ever evolving family business, successfully managed by five children and their parents. HAN is proud to have Klein Aus Vista as a member."

In his speech of thanks Piet Swiegers called upon the sector to support initiatives for communities like the one in Aus so that all population groups can benefit from tourism.


		- More on the Information Centre at Aus Info Centre