How Ndapanda Haininga turned a love for travel into a growing business

The pandemic had devastating effects on businesses worldwide. But one of the welcome ripple effects of international travel bans during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic was a boom in local travel.

In Namibia, a witty, stylish and savvy social media user cashed in on the trend when she turned her love for local travel into a growing business. Obviously a fan of her social media content myself, it was a lovely treat to finally sit down with her and hear just how she became one of the post-lockdown success stories.

A family that travels together…

Born in the north of Namibia, Ndapanda was raised in a close-knit family that travelled a lot when she was a child.

If the family wasn’t visiting the mighty Ruacana Falls, or the coastal town of Swakopmund, they were indulging in some recreational leisure time in the beautiful town of Tsumeb. “We travelled a lot, but that changed when my dad got a job outside the country”, she says. Not having her dad around to go on family trips made Ndapanda realise just how much she loved travelling. One of their getaways to Tsumeb still stands out. “Our parents would dress us in matching outfits and we would go to a local hotel. Those are my fondest memories.”

The family trips were resumed, however, and Ndapanda along with her parents and siblings are just as passionate about hitting the road together as they were many years ago.

Banking on travel

In 2020, as Namibia joined the world in enforcing COVID-19 travel restrictions, Ndapanda had her lightbulb moment. She had just been offered her first influencer gig by Namibia Wildlife Resorts (NWR). The offer was made after she had visited three lodges and shared her experiences with her followers. “I think it was Popa Falls, Halali and one of the Gondwana lodges.

“That is when it hit me that I can actually make something out of this, and after that offer, I wasn’t even sending out proposals anymore. The work just kept coming in,” says Ndapanda.

But while a lot of deals were coming through, not all of them were lucrative. So as much as she knew that she would have to take on barter exchanges here and there, especially in the early days of positioning herself as a Namibian travel influencer, Ndapanda knew when to raise her fees.

It is no surprise that she is not shy of dealing with the moneyside of her influencer business, considering that she is first and foremost a girl in finance who is passionate about numbers.

“Once the travel offers started rolling in, I began to realise how much money I was spending on creating the content. I needed to start charging in order to elevate my content,” she says. And her content DID elevate. Her top-performing Instagram shot at Voigtland attracted over 400 000 views and was reshared by users across the world.

As she consistently documented her trips around the country, Ndapanda’s following grew bigger and her inbox filled up with requests for travel tips and recommendations. Her partner was instrumental in helping her to capitalise on her growing influence by starting her own travel company. “The business was born during one of my trips. My partner is the one who told me that I could make money by charging consultation fees for all these requests,” she recalls. Soon enough she registered a business and it has been growing steadily over the last two years.

Managing a growing brand

Being the typical millennial juggling multiple jobs, family and social life, Ndapanda has had to scale down her business and focus on serving an exclusive clientele. She now offers her travel consultancy service to private clients who are looking for specialised solutions from a dedicated consultant. On how she has managed to juggle her different roles, she notes that time management and discipline are her mainstays. “There was a time when I used to spend 12 hours of screen time per day. Half of each day! But once I learned how to prioritise my time, I learned to do it all.”

Ndapanda is committed to putting Namibia on the map. However, judging by how well her content performs she urges Namibian companies to start appreciating local influencers. “The issue with the people who have power is that local influencers don’t have the numbers. But I think that is an unfair take because the only way to get the numbers is by getting paid opportunities that help you elevate their content.”

Her hope for Namibian travel is that industry players start paying influencers who are marketing the country to the world. She envisions her company as the preferred travel agency for executive retreats in Namibia and employing a few more people.

As for her travels, her bucket list includes the beautiful Little Kulala near Sossusvlei, Serra Cafema on the Kunene River, Kolmanskop, New York, Barcelona and the Maldives.

Rukee Kaakunga is a Windhoek-based Communications Specialist, Blogger and Freelance Fashion Writer. Contact her via email: rukeekaakunga@gmail.com and follow her on Twitter @rukeeveni and on Instagram @rukeekaakunga.