The Head of Marketing for the Namibia Tourism Board (NTB), Charmaine Matheus have highlighted some major tourist attraction site to visit in Namibia. She gave the insights during the Afrique Travel Industry Conference & Award (ATICA) that was recently held at the Lagos Oriental Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos.
Charmaine Matheus who presented the Namibia Tourism Package, stated that the country is the “The Shinning Diamond of African,” Matheus highlighted some tourism site to visit in Namibia like the Etosha National Park: The most accessible games reserve in South Africa, as the park is known for having an abundance of wildlife animals including Africa’s big five like Lions, Rhinoceros, Leopard, African Bush Elephants and Buffaloes.
Another site highlighted was the Sossuslei: One of the foremost tourist attraction spots in Namibia. The amazing collection of red dunes in the southern part of the Namib desert, with a lovely sight to behold. The site allows for climbing up the Dunes including the highest one: ‘Big daddy’ to get a more amazing view of the other Dunes.
Another is the Fish River Canyon, the largest canyon in Africa and one of the most visited tourist attractions in Namibia. It consists of two Canyons: the upper canyon and the lower canyon. The very rugged terrain makes it a very popular hiking location in Southern Africa.
Also is the Namib Desert is the oldest desert in the world where the ocean meets desert. This desert stretches along the Atlantic coasts of South Africa, Namibia and Angola. Here, you can meet some of Namibia’s indigenous tribes and learn a little about their way of life. Charmaine Matheus has served in this senior executive role since joining the board in November 2022 and has also served in acting CEO capacities, including as of early 2026.
The Country has a population of three million people and a square kilometer of 824,292 (roughly 318,261 miles) regarded as the vast Southern African nation ranked as the 34th largest country in the world. Namibia has a total of 300 sun shine days, with it raining season ranging from January – June, and dry season from July – December. According to available data in 2024, a total of 1,444,174 tourist arrived the country for tourism which is the major contributor to Namibia economy.
The event was also marked with some award presentation to some deserving individuals who have contributed to the tourism sector like the High Commissioner of Namibia, His Excellence, Mr. Walde Natangwe Ndevashiya, who is also the Concurrent accreditation to Cameroon and Chad, and the Permanent Representative of ECOWAS.
Frank Meke, a veteran tourism journalist with over three decades of experience in promoting African travel and tourism industry to the world was honored with the Outstanding Tourism Media Personality of the year award Best Tourism.
The 2026 edition of ATICA was sponsored by the Namibia High Commission to Nigeria, FlyPro, AI-powered travel technology company providing a comprehensive travel companion app in Nogueira. The company helps users check visa eligibility, understand entry requirements, store documents, build AI-tailored itineraries, and connect with agents for bookings. Other sponsors include: Passport Monie, Bertab Journeys Limited, Between Travels & Tours Limited, and the Universal School of Aviation.
Founded by Ambassador Emmanuel Ossai (Emios), ATICA aims to showcase the vast potential of Africa’s tourism and hospitality industries to the global travel market. With a vision for an Inter-African connection, connecting Africans and the world to the hug tourism potentials in the continent. The event was themed “Unlocking Africa’s Tourism Potentials through Collaborations.
Speaking at the event, the Chief Executive Officer of Global Links and the Board of Trustee Chairman of ATICA, Pators Mrs. Chinyere Umeasiegbu, well known as Pastor Chi, said that the ATICA is an alignment of vision, purpose and responsibility for the future of Africa’s travel and tourism ecosystem.
“The theme speaks directly to where we are and what is required of us. Africa is abundantly blessed, our culture, our people, our heritage, our landscapes. But potentials, no matter how rich, must be activated through collaborations,” she said.
Furthermore, the Managing Director of Topaz Travels & Tours Limited, Mrs. Susan Akporaiye, who is also the previous President of the National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies (NANTA), delivered a Powerful Lecture titled “Tourism as a route expansion driver.”
In her, she spoke on the role of strategic partnership for African Tourism Future, highlighting the need for strong policies that reflects direction. Mrs. Susan who is passionate about African said, “I use to say, I am a Pro-African person, I met my colleague somewhere and I decided to take that slogan at an event, and he asked me, where are you from, and I answered that I am a African. So, whenever you see me at an international event and when they ask me where I am from, I usually answer that I am an African.
She further emphasized on African Free Visa policy that can allow African’s travel within the continent like the Schengen Visa, while stating that African countries need to connect the continent by rail, road and water. Mrs. Susan Akporaiye highlighted the need for the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM), an African Initiative launched in 2018 to create a single, unified air transport market across the continent, liberalizing civil aviation and encouraging competition. The SAATM initiative is aimed at boosting intra-African trade, tourism, and connectivity by removing market access restriction and implementing the 1999 Yamoussoukro.
The Former NANTA President, provided a summary on Tourism in African, stating that with the willing power and determination, African tourism can boost the African Economy. “The baseline for the Future of African tourism is the willingness and determination. There is so much uncertainty in African tourism as a result of culture. Our diversity of African that many think is our weakness is our strength and the reason why African Tourism stands out,” she said.