The Ministry of Tourism has said its six months agreement with Spanish second-tier football league outfit Club Deportivo Leganés, as part of a strategy to expand Malawi’s brand awareness, was a success.
The agreement, which was signed in January 2023, meant the team wore kits bearing the “Malawi, The Warm Heart of Africa” logo
Ministry of Tourism spokesperson Joseph Nkosi said their objective was successfully met, citing growth in social media engagement and an increase in regional inquiries.
Nkosi said to capitalise on this, the ministry hosted a delegation of nine tour operators, travel agents and writers from August 6 to 12, 2025.
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“This familiarisation tour was strategically designed to allow the agents to experience the destination firsthand, enabling them to effectively package and sell Malawi to European travellers. Since the trip also included travel writers, this has led to some travel articles on Malawi being published in the Spanish market and new operators have started to package Malawi when they sell holidays to their clients,” he said.
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He added that the agreement was non-financial in nature, requiring no payment from the ministry.
“Our inclusion was based on being one of three African countries handpicked by the team to benefit from their destination awareness campaign.
“We anticipate a sustained increase in arrivals as more tour operators and travel agents from the region begin to actively package Malawi. By converting this initial interest into tangible travel products, we are well-positioned for long-term growth in this Market.
“Enhancing Malawi’s tourism brand awareness requires a multi-faceted approach, beyond traditional trade agreements. Use of sports-based marketing offers visibility and can position Malawi as a vibrant, trendy destination for a global audience, but it’s not impactful on its own, it requires other initiatives to fully benefit from the visibility that the games provide,” he said.
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Tourism lecturer at Mzuzu University (Mzuni) Emmanuel Banda said when entering into partnerships, a question for reflection should be whether the country in question is a source market.
“You can have a very good marketing strategy but if you do not have quality products that people are looking for, the strategy could flop. What I am trying to point at is that Malawi is beautiful as a raw product but it has not been developed to the level that people would not be disappointed when they come. I am looking at our road network to the destination sites, the service delivery,” he said.
CD Leganés reached the agreement with Malawi as part of its rotating ‘main sponsor’ strategy carried out by the club, through which it allows companies from various sectors to have the opportunity to associate with the club.
