Latest news with #NamibiaTourismBoard
TTG
20-05-2025
- TTG
Namibia: the perfect place for clients thinking ‘where should I travel now?'
Abigail Healy With its contrasting landscapes, natural marvels and endless horizons, Namibia is an ideal destination for clients keen to adventure and explore. Whether they are visiting for the cultural diversity, abundant wildlife or awe-inspiring landmarks, there is a new visa process for clients when travelling to the African country. Namibia introduced this Visa on Arrival regime, designed to be easy for applicants to apply online prior to arrival, on 1 April 2025. This is now the official process recommended by the Namibia Tourism Board and saves travellers both time and paperwork. (If you are unsure whether a passport is eligible, a list of applicants who may use this service can be found via the link above.) It's also worth noting applicants with UK passports must use the Visa on Arrival service and not the Holiday Visa service. Matthias Lemcke, director Europe for Namibia Tourism Board, recently completed the process himself. He says: 'It is super easy. There are two options, visitors can complete the process online before travel or do it on arrival. We suggest doing it online before you travel to save the hassle and time at the airport. 'The platform is provided by the Ministry of Immigration. When you access the website, make sure you select 'Visa on Arrival', not the 'Holiday Visa'. Then create an account and fill in the client's personal details – you will need their first and final holiday address details as well as their headshot and a PDF scan of their passport. 'Next you complete the online payment and click submit. The e-visa will then be generated in just a few minutes. You then need to print this out and the client should take it with their travel documents.'
The Star
16-05-2025
- Business
- The Star
Roundup: African countries eye Chinese tourist boom to drive travel industry revival
JOHANNESBURG, May 16 (Xinhua) -- African countries are looking to attract more Chinese tourists as part of broader efforts to revive and grow the continent's travel industry, delegates said at one of the continent's largest tourism trade shows. At Africa's Travel Indaba 2025, held from Tuesday to Thursday in Durban, South Africa, Zimbabwe's Deputy Minister of Tourism Tongai Mnangagwa said the country has a "Look East" policy and is leveraging its long-standing ties with China to boost tourist arrivals from the Asian country for business, medical, and leisure purposes. "The Chinese market is growing and the fact that they have over one billion people makes them our target source market, with a certain age group interested in traveling. Inquiries are being made about Zimbabwe and they are coming," he said. He said a group from China's Hunan Province has confirmed plans to visit Zimbabwe, noting that the presence of Chinese businesspeople in Zimbabwe is drawing their friends and relatives, further reinforcing inbound travel. "We are working with organizations which are based in Zimbabwe and owned by the Chinese nationals who are bringing Chinese tourists in groups from different provinces. All these people, when they go back, will be our billboards or ambassadors telling others about our country," he said. South African officials echoed similar sentiments. Thembisile Sehloho, chief marketing officer at South African Tourism, said that targeted efforts like the Trusted Tour Operator Scheme, which simplifies visa processing for Chinese and Indian nationals, are helping boost arrivals. "I can confirm that there was some significant increase in Chinese and their buyers coming through, which aligns with our strategy of growing arrivals from India and China," Sehloho said. "The buyers from China were interested in cultural immersion and we spoke a lot about cultural and leisure tourism. Cultural tourism will get us volumes and leisure tourism will get us value. We will use the two to sell our country." Namibia is also ramping up its engagement with China. Sebulon Chiliho Chicalu, chief executive officer of the Namibia Tourism Board, said the country will soon launch a dedicated China strategy and increase its representation in China to four locations. "China, as a source market, remains one of our targets and we would like to attract many Chinese to visit our country. China and Namibia do a lot of business together and we would like to capitalize on that. We will hold roadshows in three cities of China to market Destination Namibia," Chicalu said. Tourism leaders stressed the scale of the opportunity. Tshifhiwa Tshivhengwa, chief executive officer of the Tourism Business Council of South Africa, said China remains the "largest outbound tourism market in the world," and African destinations must position themselves to benefit. "We saw a large delegation from India and China at Africa's Travel Indaba. That is positive. We have been working on that for a long time," he said. "We need to have large footprints on those two markets. The buyers from India and China were looking for products, services, and experiences we offer." "South Africa and Africa have to make a value proposition to the Chinese and Indian market. It presents a huge opportunity and we have to take advantage of it," he added.
The Star
06-05-2025
- Business
- The Star
Namibia explores new int'l markets to boost tourism
WINDHOEK, May 6 (Xinhua) -- Namibia intends to expand its reach in new international tourism markets to promote the southern African country more broadly as a preferred global tourist destination, an official announced Tuesday. Minister of Environment, Forestry and Tourism Indileni Daniel highlighted this during her presentation of the 2025/2026 budget motivation to the cabinet. "The Namibia Tourism Board plans to explore new markets such as Asia, the Middle East, and North America to market Namibia as a preferred tourist destination," said Daniel. According to the minister, the push into new markets comes as Namibia's tourism sector continues its recovery following the impacts of the global pandemic. According to the latest Tourist Statistical Report for 2023, tourist arrivals significantly rebounded to 863,872, a substantial increase from the 169,565 recorded during the pandemic period. This recovery is attributed partly to the implementation of Namibia's Tourism Sector Recovery Plan 2022-2024, said Daniel. Meanwhile, the government, through a program focused on creating an enabling environment for the sustained growth of the tourism and gaming industries, is also undertaking several key initiatives, she added. These include formulating the National Spatial Tourism Development Master Plan, reviewing the National Tourism Policy, and developing a new Tourism Act, which are designed to foster a conducive environment to attract new investments, encourage product diversification, and ensure sustainability within the sector, she said.
