Under the motto 'Meet Namibia', the Namibia Tourism Board (NTB) toured Southern Europe with leading Namibian tourism companies. The roadshow left "a trail of inspiration, new connections, and successful sales in its wake," reported NTB Director for Europe, Matthias Lemcke, on his LinkedIn page.
The tour visited four major cities: Madrid, Barcelona, Milan and Athens. Namibia was presented to 130 representatives of tour operators as an ideal destination for adventure, culture, safaris and breathtaking landscapes.
While the NTB has already tapped into the key markets of Spain and Italy through trade fairs, Greece has been added as a new market. Good flight connections are always important, which in this case are provided by Ethiopian Airlines.
Immediately before the roadshow, the NTB promoted Namibia at the 'Seatrade Cruise' trade fair in Hamburg. Lemcke met decision-makers and opinion leaders from the international cruise tourism industry there. More and more cruise ships are docking in Walvis Bay and Lüderitz.
A completely new market was on the NTB's agenda in mid-August: Japan. Alongside his NTB colleague Amy Zhu from China and Nangula Uaandja, Chief Executive Director of the Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board (NIPDB), Lemcke presented Namibia as a travel destination and a potential target for investors.
Namibia remained visible to consumers as a destination. The ADAC travel agency magazine 'Urlaub' (Holiday) featured the article "Namibia – Großes Naturkino" (Namibia's nature: fantastic) as the cover story of its August issue.
The campaign kicked off in early September with Deuter Sport and Jaguar Landrover Defender Experience, "two major brands in the upmarket lifestyle and adventure segment," as Lemcke emphasises. Deuter is promoting its "durable and dirt-repellent" 'Duffel Pro' bags.
The campaign consists of videos, photos and stories created by experienced 'content creators' during a week-long trip to Namibia. It is running in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, as well as in Scandinavia, the Benelux countries, the United Kingdom, France and Italy.
Campaigns aimed at end consumers must include a call to action. The advertising campaign with Deuter and Land Rover therefore also features bookable Namibia packages.
Sven-Eric Stender