Tjitunga, UaarukapoNjibama, Hilary KennedyMakuzva, Washington2023-06-302023-06-302023Tjitunga, 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/1152http://ir.nust.na:8080/jspui/handle/10628/995Journal articleThis 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.enNamibiaArticleEducational tourismstrategysustainabilitytourism developmentWindhoek-based universitiesArticle