Educational tourism as a strategy for sustainable tourism development: Perspectives of Windhoek-based universities, Namibia
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Date
2023
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Journal of Tourism & Development
Abstract
This study explored educational tourism as a strategy for sustainable tourism development,
with a speci c focus on Windhoek-based universities, Namibia. Based on twenty-three interviews conduc-
ted with international students and international relations-related sta across the three Windhoek-based
universities, this study adopted a qualitative approach in exploring the perceptions of how the universities
could leverage their educational tourism (edu-tourism) potential, so as to enhance sustainable tourism
development in Namibia. By way of implementing a thematic analysis, the empirical ndings suggest
that the universities enrolled both long-term degree-seeking and short-term semester-based exchange
students. While both categories of students were a potential source of sustainable edu-tourism receipts,
no active structures were available for leveraging strategies for attracting such students. Furthermore,
the respondents concurred that all three Namibian universities possessed the potential to attract inter-
national students to enrol in their programmes, which would contribute to the enhancement of cultural
exchange and socio-economic leverages. The study proposes new insights into edu-tourism development
in the Namibian context, the need for focused strategies, the development of policies and focused sta-
keholder engagement for capitalising on this tourism niche. The outcomes present practical leverages
prompting Windhoek-based universities to recognise the importance of active participation in edu-tourism
promotion, while contributing to the existing literature on the subject, especially in the developing con-
text.
Description
Journal article
Keywords
Namibia, Article, Educational tourism, strategy, sustainability, tourism development, Windhoek-based universities
Citation
Tjitunga, U., Njibama, H. K., and Makuzva, W. (2023). Educational tourism as a strategy for sustainable tourism development: Perspectives ofWindhoek-based universities, Namibia. Journal of Tourism & Development, vol.42, 191-209. https://proa.ua.pt/index.php/rtd/issue/view/1152