Finns provide expo eye-opener for SMEs

THE Finnish Embassy and the Namibian Tourism Board (NTB) made it possible for eight small- and medium- enterprise (SME) companies to participate at the 2007 Matka Tourism Fair in Helsinki, Finland.

This was announced at a joint press conference at a Windhoek hotel on Friday. The fair was held from January 15-22 and attracted around 86 000 visitors, among them 17 000 travel professionals.It is the biggest trade fair of its kind in the Nordic region.The sponsored participants were chosen from among 22 applications submitted by companies run by previously disadvantaged Namibians.”Participation criteria were quite strict”, said Shareen Thude, Strategic Executive for Marketing and Research of the NTB.”Companies had to have been in business for some time and there was a participation fee of N$2 500.”Elise Heikkinen, Programme Officer of the Embassy of Finland, said his government decided to sponsor the project as tourism had emerged as a major factor in Namibia’s economy and job market.This was highlighted by a survey sponsored by the Embassy and carried out by the Ministry of Environment and Tourism and the NTB in 2006.”The study found that Travel and Tourism contributes 16 per cent of the total GDP [of Namibia] while 17 per cent of …employment is found in the sector.We believe that Namibia has got something special to offer in the world of tourism.In order to make Namibia known as a desirable destination, networking and marketing initiatives are needed.”Participants also aired their views on the expo.”It was a great opportunity, we learned a lot,” said Christie Benade of Lake Oanob Resort.”We have to be very sure of our standards [in catering] for these people [tourists], as they have a high standard of living,” he added.Nathan Afrika of Libra Tours said the group “got to know more about the Finns themselves and what they want”.He also said that people at the expo “showed a keen interest” in the Namibian stand.Some participants had other reasons to be thankful.”It was an eye-opener and a mind-shift.It was the first time ever that I’ve travelled or seen snow,” said Fried Fredericks of Walvis Bay Tour Guides.The fair was held from January 15-22 and attracted around 86 000 visitors, among them 17 000 travel professionals.It is the biggest trade fair of its kind in the Nordic region.The sponsored participants were chosen from among 22 applications submitted by companies run by previously disadvantaged Namibians.”Participation criteria were quite strict”, said Shareen Thude, Strategic Executive for Marketing and Research of the NTB.”Companies had to have been in business for some time and there was a participation fee of N$2 500.”Elise Heikkinen, Programme Officer of the Embassy of Finland, said his government decided to sponsor the project as tourism had emerged as a major factor in Namibia’s economy and job market.This was highlighted by a survey sponsored by the Embassy and carried out by the Ministry of Environment and Tourism and the NTB in 2006.”The study found that Travel and Tourism contributes 16 per cent of the total GDP [of Namibia] while 17 per cent of …employment is found in the sector.We believe that Namibia has got something special to offer in the world of tourism.In order to make Namibia known as a desirable destination, networking and marketing initiatives are needed.”Participants also aired their views on the expo.”It was a great opportunity, we learned a lot,” said Christie Benade of Lake Oanob Resort.”We have to be very sure of our standards [in catering] for these people [tourists], as they have a high standard of living,” he added.Nathan Afrika of Libra Tours said the group “got to know more about the Finns themselves and what they want”.He also said that people at the expo “showed a keen interest” in the Namibian stand.Some participants had other reasons to be thankful.”It was an eye-opener and a mind-shift.It was the first time ever that I’ve travelled or seen snow,” said Fried Fredericks of Walvis Bay Tour Guides.