Educational tourism as a strategy for sustainable tourism development: Perspectives of Windhoek-based universities, Namibia

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.