Namibia showing up all over Europe

The travel destination Namibia kept on captivating both tour operators and consumers in Europe in recent weeks and months. The Namibia Tourism Board (NTB) enjoyed a successful presence at key trade fairs. In addition, there were media campaigns and a cross-brand initiative.

The highlight and conclusion of the trade fair season in Europe, marking the end of winter, was the Internationale Tourismus Börse (ITB) in Berlin. During the three trade days from 3 to 5 March, 5,601 exhibitors from 166 countries presented their products and services.

Despite some flight restrictions due to the Middle East conflict, the ITB attracted approximately 97,000 attendees. This was almost as many as the previous year. The ITB, which celebrated its 60th anniversary this year, is considered the world's leading tourism trade fair.

"ITB Berlin 2026 was a success for Namibia and proved once again to be one of the most important B2B trade shows on the NTB event calendar", said NTB director Europe, Matthias Lemcke. "The Namibia stand was a real hub in hall 20." This is confirmed by a short video that the NTB published on its YouTube channel.

Lemcke referred to "meetings with CEOs, MDs and Product Managers of Tour Operators, Airlines and Media brands." As in previous years, there was diplomatic support. The Namibian Ambassador to Germany, Jeroboam Kakeke 'JKS' Shaanika, visited the Namibia booth. For more details see the previous report on Namibian.org. 

'Team Namibia' at the ITB in Berlin: Matthias Lemcke (NTB Director Europe), Sebulon Chicalu (NTB Managing Director) and Jeroboam Kakeke 'JKS' Shaanika (Ambassador of Namibia to Germany) with Namibian musician Eric 'EES' Sell.  Photo: Screenshot from the NTB's short video about ITB on YouTube

From Finland via Spain to Portugal

Immediately before this, from 25 February to 1 March, the NTB was present at the Bolsa de Turismo de Lisboa (BTL). This would hardly have been possible without Marc Claydon and Susanne Schmidt in the marketing team of the Frankfurt office.

Although Namibia was represented at the BTL for the first time a year ago, it is still a newcomer to the Portuguese market. The Portuguese can easily reach Namibia on regular flights to the former colony of Angola and a connecting flight to Windhoek.

Much the same regarding air connectivity applies to Spain, where the NTB has been active since 2023. Namibia was represented for the third time at the Feria Internacional de Turismo (FITUR) in Madrid from 21 to 25 January. In addition, there were annual roadshows with a stop in Madrid. Lemcke: "The tourism future of Namibia in Spain looks bright!"

Namibia stand at the FITUR trade fair in Madrid.  Photo: LinkedIn post by Matthias Lemcke (NTB)

Even the far north of Europe has seen a visit from the sunny country of Namibia. More precisely: The leading Nordic travel fair, Matka (Finnish for 'travel'), took place from 16 to 18 January in Helsinki. Part of the Namibia team was the tour operator Furaha Tours and Safaris, participating in the NTB Support Programme for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME).

Namibia's Ambassador Gebhard Benjamin Kandanga also visited the booth. Finland and Namibia share a common history. The Finnish mission was very active in northern Namibia from the late 19th century onward. Many Namibians from the region still bear Finnish first names such as Toivo or Helvi.

From 'DERTour Academy' to 'ASA goes Africa'

Between trade fairs, the NTB also attended events for the travel industry to network and cultivate contacts. One major event was the DERTour Group Academy at the end of February in Canada (see Lemcke's LinkedIn post).

More than 350 carefully selected travel agents from Germany and Austria participated. Namibia's team informed them about the tourism offerings and everything their clients should know about Namibia. They also established high-level contacts with international airlines, hotel groups and travel media.

In January, the NTB, together with the Namibian High Commission in London, implemented a new format for networking. High Commissioner Veiccoh Nghiwete invited the leading British tour operators to a New Year's reception.

A month earlier, Namibia was part of an industry collaboration. The network 'Accredited Specialists for Africa (ASA)' introduced more than 60 travel agents to Southern Africa during a training trip.

'ASA Goes Africa 2025' took place from 3 to 14 December. It consisted of a mix of workshops, networking and experiences. Two of the six fam trips from Johannesburg to attractions in Southern Africa led to Namibia.

At the end of November, the NTB, in partnership with Discover Airlines, hosted a networking and business forum in Namibia. Leading representatives of the travel industry in Germany and Namibia met for an intensive exchange on challenges in tourism and future concepts.

Namibia also reaching travellers in Europe

The travel fairs BTL, FITUR and Matka also had visitor days for consumers. In addition to this, NTB's cross-brand promotion with rooftop tent specialist Yakima generated significant consumer visibility.

In early December, content creators from Europe and Namibian videographers toured the Zambezi Region in northeastern Namibia. This resulted in reports and videos like this one on the experience with roof tents and other Yakima outdoor equipment.

"What an amazing experience. Unique, liberating, soulful, adventurous!" This enthusiastic review, according to NTB, came from a journalist in Zurich after returning from Namibia at the end of February.

The media trip was a joint initiative of NTB, the Swiss leisure airline Edelweiss, and LandRover Experience. Reporters from leading travel media outlets and influencers from Switzerland experienced Namibia's landscapes, wildlife, people, and accommodations on a self-drive tour.

The Namibian Tourism Board anticipates reports with Europe-wide reach in the coming months. Further initiatives for the media and industry are also planned in partnership with Lufthansa subsidiary Edelweiss and Namibian travel companies.

Edelweiss will operate non-stop flights from Zurich to Windhoek from June to October (see the Namibian.org report). For weeks, large banners in busy areas of the city have been promoting Namibia as a travel destination and the new flight connection.

Last not least, NTB and German leisure airline Discover Airlines will further strengthen their collaboration to establish Namibia as a premier travel destination. Both partners signed a cooperation agreement at the ITB Berlin trade fair in early March.

The partnership aims to implement joint marketing initiatives and destination promotion as well as improve travel connections. Pooling resources, according to NTB's post on LinkedIn, will make it possible to reach travellers worldwide.

Marketing cooperation between NTB, Edelweiss and Land Rover Experience: Self-drive tour through Namibia for journalists and influencers from Switzerland.  Photo: LinkedIn post by Matthias Lemcke (NTB)