Tourism Expo 2023

The principle of taking tourism beyond Namibian borders is neither new to the Tourism Expo nor is it foreign to the Tourismus Namibia magazine. Many of you will remember that during previous events, then still known as the Namibia Tourism Expo, the concept of “10° South” was introduced, meaning all southern African countries found at or below the 10th southern latitude.



Covid-19 certainly threw us a curve ball, halting all travelling in its tracks. But now it is high time to revive not only your plans now that you are once again free to travel and explore the world, to experience life’s true meaning!



However, charity starts at home, so it is against that background that the Tourism Expo 2023 is engaging in several interesting network sessions during the expo. These engagements will be facilitated by none other than Namibia’s former Miss Universe, Michelle McLean, and the well-known NTV presenter, Ashwyn Mberi.



The first day kicks off with the British High Commissioner to Namibia, H.E. Charles Moore, spending some time engaging with the Namibian tourism community, asking the question: “What to expect in Namibia?” This should be hugely interesting for the simple reason that any Namibians are convinced that Namibia is the only logical place where you should spend your holiday!



But does that view or opinion coincide with how visitors experience and view Namibia? Do visitors take experiences home that can convince their countrymen to also visit Namibia? Do visitors get value for money, and does the Namibian experience live up to promises made? That is where the opinion of someone like the British High Commissioner can make a difference, as we can all learn from his shared experiences, simply because he has spent around 50 000 kilometres on Namibian roads, and experienced everything Namibia has to offer first-hand.



Considering Namibia’s rate of unemployment, which is felt especially among the Namibian youth, it makes sense for the expo to spend time on “Youth in Tourism” and “Funding Opportunities for Youth in Conservation”. Both these issues will be spoken of and about by Sebulon Chicalu, the Director for Tourism in the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism (MEFT), and Nabot Mbeeli, Senior Coordinator of CBNRM Projects, respectively.



These sessions should be regarded as bigger opportunities for the Namibian youth as these sectors offer employment solutions that do not necessarily come with the huge expectation in terms of schooling, which is often part and parcel of other industries.



In the same vein, Gondwana’s Gys Joubert will be looking at that tourism enterprise’s social intervention programmes, which amongst others, offer internships to the Namibian youth. Joubert is on record for saying that Gondwana will share experience and know-how, but the final requirement for success is the individual, who grabs such opportunities by the horns and turns him- or herself into a role player in the tourism sector.



Last but not least, Johan Muller, the CEO of Cricket Namibia, will look at the synergies between sport and tourism. Sports events are on the increase in Namibia and just like Republikein's Bridal Couple of the Year competition, directly reflects on the conferencing and events capacities of the hospitality sector. We see an exodus of parents and young sports stars to various towns and destinations all over the country every weekend, but it would seem as though the tourism sector has not fully utilized this phenomena’s opportunities and the impact it has on the immediate areas of where the sports events take place.



It has become time to use what is offered to us in terms of tourism opportunities that reach beyond elephants, lions or rhinoceros.