Dillish’s 400 000 online army

Big Brother Africa 2013 winner Dillish Mathews is the face of a new Namibia Tourism Board (NTB) online marketing campaign, aimed at promoting domestic tourism. ‘Share My Namibia’ is a social media and digital marketing campaign geared, toward growing domestic tourism and the NTB online community, while showcasing the adventures that await travellers. With more than 400 000 followers, Dillish is the most popular online personality in Namibia. She has embarked on an 11-day trip through Namibia and will share her experiences on various online platforms, including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. She hopes to influence and entice a large number of her local followers to travel more in the Land of the Brave. Dillish started her trip yesterday with a friend, as well as NTB’s Manager for Digital Marketing, Rebekka Hidulika. She has promised to share all her experiences with her followers online - even the embarrassing ones. “Social media totally runs the world today and it is cool that NTB has joined the social media age. It is smart and a good strategy,” she said at the launch of the initiative in Windhoek last week. The public is invited to join in the social media fun by sharing the Namibian holiday experiences on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, using the hashtags #sharemynamibia and #mynamibiaholiday. An application has been created on the NTB website, which indicates what sites one can see when travelling through different parts of the country. The Travel Idea Guide encourages travellers to explore more places within the country, as they make their way to their final destination. People can also share ideas about what they can see or experience along various routes. Also, in a bid to grow its online community, the NTB will launch a Facebook competition where three lucky Namibians can win a weekend away for two. The prizes to be won will be sponsored by lodges visited by Dillish, namely the Neuras wine estate, the Grootberg Lodge and the Uuwaluudhi Safari lodge. Follow Dillish on Facebook (Dillish-Matthews), or Twitter (@dillish_lishy) and Instagram (dillishmathews). You can also follow NTB on Facebook at Endless Horizons or on Twitter at NamibianHorizons. WINDHOEK ELLANIE SMIT