Dr. Fox off to Germany

Dr. Thomas Fox, Senior Lecturer at the Sociology Department of the University of Namibia has been invited to participate in a group visit to Germany themed ““The Sharing Economy” from 10 until 16 July, as part of the Visitors Programme of the German Federal Government.
Together with journalists/bloggers, economic and social scientists from around the world, Dr. Fox will have the opportunity to familiarise himself with the current debate in Germany incorporating supporters, networkers and businesses.
“Sharing is the new form of having” applies to almost all spheres of life, both commercial and non-commercial. The programme includes a Presentation of suitable projects and examples from business (e.g. Car2Go, Airbnb) and society (e.g. Kleiderkreisel (clothing exchange), Küchensurfen (cooking together), Wohnzimmerkonzerte (concerts in your living room) and projects such as Tauschbörse Kiel (exchange platform) on integration.
Dr. Fox’ research has revealed that the “sharing economy” concept yields huge potential for poverty reduction and eventually elimination in Namibia. Furthermore, a recent study of the Organisation for Economic Development and Cooperation (OECD) has identified the “sharing economy” as one of the largest challenges for tourism worldwide. Given the importance of tourism for Namibia’s economy, the insights of this trip should help prepare Namibia’s tourism industry for changing patterns in Germany, Namibia’s largest non-African tourism market with 90,000 visitors every year and rising.