Namibia pushes MICE, sustainability agenda at WTM Africa

Namibia is sharpening its global tourism strategy with a renewed focus on business travel and sustainability, as the Namibia Tourism Board (NTB) showcases its offerings at WTM Africa.

Speaking on the sidelines of the event, Charmaine Matheus, head, marketing for NTB, underscored the country’s strategic pivot towards the Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) segment, describing it as a central pillar of Namibia’s tourism growth agenda.

“One of the key areas that we are looking at and of course positioning the destination strongly is our MICE sector,” she said. “Namibia has launched the Namibia Convention Bureau and we are looking very strongly at increasing travel to Namibia, business travel to Namibia, specifically uplifting the MICE sub-sector of Namibia.”

Matheus noted that the establishment of the Namibia Convention Bureau marks a significant step in formalising and expanding the country’s appeal to business travellers, as the country seeks to diversify beyond its traditional leisure tourism base.

“With South Africa being one of our key source markets, our highest inbound travel market, we are very excited to always participate at WTM,” she said. “In fact, any travel show that has a high impact for our destination, for travellers being able to engage with tourists and potential buyers for the destination, presenting the country, that is key for us.”

She added that NTB’s delegation to Cape Town includes a curated group of high-end trade partners representing diverse segments of the tourism value chain.

“Specifically, today and during WTM, we do have with us a group of trade, high-end trade, trade that focuses on various factors of tourism from travel leisure to MICE and so much more,” Matheus noted. “We are very excited to be here.”

As well, Namibia earned top honours for its sustainability-focused stand—an achievement that reflects the country’s long-standing commitment to conservation-led tourism and authentic storytelling.

In response to the recognition, Matheus remarked: “This award celebrates our dedication to sustainable tourism, proving that conservation is not just part of our destination’s offering, but is woven into the very fabric of how we represent Namibia to the world. For Namibia, sustainability is a core value; this win for our stand validates our mission to lead the way in responsible travel through every facet of our brand presence.”