Namibia reigns supreme as a top African tourist destination

Namibia reigns supreme as a top African tourist destination

Namibia Hilton Hotel, Windhoek

The Hilton Hotel chain is arguably the most well-known accommodation franchise in the world. It represents the ultimate in luxury and countries know that they’ve made it as prime tourist destinations when they’re chosen for a brand new branch. Namibia is the latest country to be graced with a Hilton Hotel as Hilton Windhoek opened its doors at the beginning of June. Hilton Windhoek is the chain’s 40^th hotel in the Middle East and Africa, while Namibia is the 77^th country to benefit from the attractions naturally associated with a Hilton Hotel.

Speaking at the grand opening, Dave Horton, who is the global head of Hilton Hotels & Resorts, said: “Namibia is a growing market with tourist arrivals increasing every year; it offers travellers an opportunity to explore the best of Africa with its many conservation parks, wildlife reserves and the untouched Namib Desert.”

The opening of Windhoek Hilton was well-timed as it came just before the annual Namibian Tourism Expo which was held in Windhoek, but not at the Hilton. The expo was well supported by the Northern Cape, South Africa’s immediate neighbouring province with Namibia.

Dianna Martin, marketing manager at the Northern Cape Tourism Authority, described the relationship between the two countries as “symbiotic” and emphasised the importance of marketing the Namaqualand and Green Kalahari in South Africa along with some of the prime attractions in Namibia to encourage trans-border tourism.

The expo coincided with the Namibia Tourism Board’s (NTB) 10^th anniversary. Once again the timing was fortuitous as Lonely Planet had only recently named Namibia as the 5^th best value holiday destination for 2011. Namibia’s primary attractions, according to Lonely Planet, are the Namib Naukluft National Park for outstanding safaris, Sossusvlei as a travel itinerary essential and Windhoek as a stunning example of a cosmopolitan African city with world class accommodation.

The Namibia Tourism Board was even named as the best tourism board in all of Africa.