A Namibian tourism official says his country is looking to tap into the vast potential afforded by Chinese tourists by taking steps to welcome more leisure and business travelers from China, with growing ties between the two sides set to bring benefits that extend far beyond the tourism sector.
Relations between Namibia and China have been in the spotlight as Namibian President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitiwah on Saturday wrapped up a week-long state visit at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping.
In an interview with the China Global Television Network (CGTN) on Monday, Sebulon Chicalu, CEO of the Namibia Tourism Board, noted that China has become Namibia's eighth-largest overseas tourism source market, a development which underscores the country's rising appeal among Chinese travelers and signals stronger prospects for bilateral ties.
According to the latest Tourist Statistical Report released in June, China ranked eighth among Namibia's overseas tourism source markets in 2025, with over 9,600 Chinese tourists making the trip last year.
Chicalu welcomed the rising number of Chinese arrivals and said Namibia is on the "right track" as it successfully targets a fast-growing market with increasing interest in its tourism offerings.
"We're targeting a market that's really growing and we're targeting a market that is demanding the destination. It indicates the recognition of the Chinese visitors of the Namibian tourism experience and tourism product offerings, that they're appreciating, they value it, and they want to come and enjoy it. We know now that Chinese travelers love landscapes, wide open spaces, but also taking photographs, and just relating themselves to nature," he said.
Noting the significance of President Nandi-Ndaitwah's visit, Chicalu said the two countries enjoy strong diplomatic ties, and believes that beyond merely boosting visitor numbers, tourism is playing a major role in strengthening people-to-people exchanges and opening up business opportunities.
"You'll see a lot of people-to-people exchanges taking place, combined with the good relationship that Namibia has with China, equally cemented by our head of state's visits to China. I think, for me, tourism cannot happen without people-to-people exchanges. I think Namibians welcome Chinese visitors who are coming as tourists, so they feel at home, they feel at ease. Whether for leisure, whether for business, but also whether for trade in itself, then there is a focus on Namibia that will benefit more than tourism," he said
"That's why we embarked on training the travel agents to operate this too so that they are very familiar with the visa process and they're able to help the visitors and consumers that are traveling (from) China. And we believe that this will definitely succeed, and we'll have more Chinese visitors coming to Namibia, both businesses and also leisure travelers," Chicalu continued.
Namibia sees growing opportunities to welcome more Chinese visitors: tourism official
