Meeting new people and unfamiliar destinations are some of the reasons why we travel. This again rang true when I visited Nambwa Tented Lodge and meant so much more than I could have imagined.   Text and Photographs Le Roux van Schalkwyk African Monarch Lodges with its portfolio of Nambwa Tented Lodge and Kazile Island Lodge recently…

There’s something sacred about an art museum. It is a place where the closet-dreamers find a moment, even just a second, to become immersed in soulful inspiration. This year’s 9th National Ceramics Biennale hosted by the Potters Association of Namibia (PAN) drew a large crowd at its opening in Windhoek last month, but after the…

pho Tebele in Gaborone and Sinikiwe Marodza in Harare A decision by the recent meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) to reject a proposal by some Southern African member states to resume sales on ivory stockpiles has renewed calls for Southern African Development Community (SADC) to quit the organisation. Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and…

The South Australian Tourism Commission’s latest advertising campaign featuring an older man crying has been labelled “bizarre”, “ageist” and “depressing”. Titled “Don’t feel sorry for old mate …”, the visual footage features an elderly man walking at iconic South Australian locations and crying was produced by Melbourne-based agency TBWA. Opposition tourism spokesperson Zoe Bettison labelled…

Namibia Wildlife Resorts (NWR) for that past three months worked with three social media influencers to take over their social media accounts with the aim of enticing domestic travellers to see why Namibia is rated as one of the best holiday destinations in the world. One thing that cannot be ignored is the impact that…

Seychelles’ former tourism minister, Alain St Ange, has been named the new president of the African Tourism Board. St Ange will head a team of tourism experts in Africa to help create a unified destination concept for Africa. The announcement was made April 11 at the World Trade Market Africa held in Cape Town, South…

Gondwana Collection will add two Namibian lodges to its product range from May 1: the well-known Palmwag Lodge, and Omarunga Lodge. Palmwag is the gateway to the sparsely populated Kaokoland, and has a large concession area that has been a popular holiday destination in Damaraland for many years. Omarunga Lodge is close to the Epupa…

In the days following Tiger Woods’s remarkable comeback win at The Masters, the worldwide golf industry welcomed the victory with the hope it will push the needle of interest in the sport to greater heights. Already the comeback is being hailed as ‘the Tiger Effect 2.0’ with commentators cogitating on how the renaissance of golf’s…

Major entities in the hospitality industry in South Africa have called for government to step in an regulate Airbnb, according to a City Press report. Airbnb has seen impressive growth in South Africa, and local hotels are concerned that the unregistered accommodation establishments listed on the platform are taking away business from established bed-and-breakfasts and…

Luxury cruise liner Genting Dream returned to Bintan, Riau on Saturday, bringing hundreds of foreign tourists onto the exotic island. Bintan Tourism and Culture Agency head Wan Rudy said he was enthusiastic about the return of the luxury cruise as the arrival of foreign tourists would boost the region’s tourism. “We are proud that Bintan…

The Mexican government plans to launch its latest tourism campaign, called “Knocking at the Door,” to attract more Chinese tourists, the Tourism Ministry said on Sunday. The idea is to target countries with large tourism markets, such as China, and improve Mexico’s standing among global tourist destinations, Tourism Minister Miguel Torruco said in a press…

The Business and Intellectual Property Authority and stakeholders in the tourism sector are working on a project to embrace intellectual property strategies. The project produced a roadmap for the implementation of these strategies to benefit the tourism sector. The roadmap was produced at a meeting last week, which aimed at implementing adequate intellectual property (IP)…

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni said Monday his country is safe for tourism and business after police rescued a kidnapped U.S tourist and her local tour guide on Sunday. Addressing a news conference in Kampala, police spokesperson said the kidnappers absconded but operations will continue. Fred Enanga, Uganda police spokesperson said “there are many armed groups…

Environment and tourism minister Pohamba Shifeta has urged the business community to come up with viable interventions for optimising the role of tourism as an engine and catalyst for economic development and growth in Namibia. Speaking during a meeting on tourism organised by the Namibia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NCCI) in Windhoek yesterday, the…

Under a Memorandum of Understanding, signed earlier this month, the Namibia Tourism Board will have access to the considerable marketing network of Team Namibia, running joint campaigns and regularly pushing tourism board information to the Namibian and southern African regional market. The memorandum was signed by Bärbel Kirchner (left), representing Team Namibia, and Digo //Naobeb,…

Chinese tourists are now among those that frequently visit Namibia thanks to concerted engagements between the two countries coupled with the availability of easy access flights between Namibia and China, according to a Namibian tourism official. Speaking to Xinhua, Chief Executive Officer of the Namibian Tourism Board (NTB) Digu //Noabeb said there are now about…