Namibia Successful Strengthens Tourism Bond with China Through Multi-City Roadshow
Namibia made a significant entry into the Chinese market with its recent “Beyond Dunes, Strong Fun” roadshow, organized by the Namibia Tourism Board (NTB) in three major cities: Beijing, Chengdu, and Shanghai. This event, held from October 27 to November 1, 2024, represented a strategic effort to enhance Namibia’s visibility in a swiftly recovering Chinese outbound tourism sector, which is expected to see 130 million travelers this year. Despite facing some challenges, the roadshow garnered a positive response, fostering stronger connections between Namibian tourism providers and Chinese tour operators, influencers, and media representatives.
In her opening remarks, Charmaine Matheus, the Acting CEO of NTB, highlighted the importance of the roadshow, stating, “The NTB had a productive exchange with numerous Chinese Travel Trade representatives in Beijing yesterday.” She pointed out that “China is an emerging market for Namibia in tourism, necessitating ongoing and significant efforts to expand our market share.” Referencing Namibia’s recent progress, she noted, “Arrivals from Asia rose from 1.2% in 2022 to 1.6% in 2023,” as per the Ministry of Environment, Forestry & Tourism’s Annual Tourism Statistics Report (2023). Looking ahead, she reassured that “the NTB will persist in implementing aggressive promotional strategies to grow our footprint in the region.”
Amy Qing, the NTB representative in China, expressed her excitement about presenting Namibia’s unique attractions to a new audience, stating that the purpose of the tour was “to enhance exposure and awareness of destination Namibia in China” and assist Namibian suppliers in “establishing more and new business connections with Chinese tour operators.”
The events attracted notable attendance, even with Typhoon KangRey impacting turnout in Shanghai. In total, 271 Chinese tourism professionals and media participants attended in person, while an additional 1,610 viewers joined a live stream of the Shanghai session, which NTB China promptly arranged to accommodate those affected by the extreme weather. Ethiopian Airlines, NTB’s aviation partner, added excitement with a lucky draw for round-trip tickets from China to Namibia.
By: Comfort Larry (GhanaNet Radio)
