Employment bonanza
According to a report, Namibia's travel and tourism industry is expected to generate 122 200 direct jobs by 2029, contributing 15.7% to the country's total employment.
The travel and tourism industry in Namibia is expected to create more than 122 000 direct jobs within the next decade, contributing more than 15% to the country's total employment.
The industry last year directly contributed 7.2% to the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) with spending from domestic tourism contributing more than visitors from other countries.
Leisure tourists spent more than business travellers to the country.
This is according to the latest Travel and Tourism Economic Impact 2019 Namibia report released by the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC.)
The research conducted by the WTTC covered 185 countries.
According to the report, the travel and tourism industry in Namibia is expected to generate 122 200 direct jobs by 2029, contributing 15.7% to the country's total employment.
This includes employment by hotels, travel agents, airlines and other passenger transportation services, but excludes commuter services. The figure also includes the activities of the restaurant and leisure industries that are directly supported by tourists.
It is expected that the sector will support 156 400 jobs in total.
The report predicted that direct employment by the industry for this year was expected to grow to 24 500, which is 6.5% of the country's total employment, while sector would create 103 000 indirect jobs in total this year contributing 14.2% of total employment in the country.
The total contribution of travel and tourism to the economy last year was N$20.2 billion (10.9%). According to the report this primarily reflects restaurant and leisure activities directly supported by tourists.
The report also indicates that money spent by foreign visitors to a country - known as visitor exports - is a key component of the direct contribution of the travel and tourism industry.
Last year Namibia generated N$6.3 billion in visitor exports, up from 2017 when the figure stood at N$4.3 billion.
Meanwhile, leisure travel spending, including both inbound and domestic travellers, generated 82% of the direct travel and tourism's contribution to the GDP last year. This is in comparison to the 18% of business travel spending.
Also, domestic travel spending generated 72% of the direct travel and tourism contribution to the country's GDP last year, compared to the 28% for international spending.
Namibia's Tourism Satellite Account (5th Edition) that was launched last year, and analysed data from 2005, showed that Namibia is projected to create close to 50 000 direct jobs and 123 100 indirect jobs by the end of 2020.
It said tourism directly supported more than 44 700 jobs in 2015, which represents 6.5% of the total employment in Namibia, while indirectly it supported 100 700 jobs, representing 14.5% of employment in the country. Meanwhile tourism directly contributed N$5.2 billion in 2015 to the country's GDP, which is equivalent to 3.5% of the total GDP, while the sector indirectly contributed N$15.1 billion, representing 10.2% of GDP. Namibia recorded a record number of 1.6 million foreign arrivals in 2018, representing an increase of 2.2% from 1.57 million previous year. Nearly 1.5 million arrivals were recorded in 2017, an increase of 2.1% from the previous year, when 1.46 million tourists visited Namibia.
Of the 1.6 million foreign arrivals that Namibia received last year, tourist arrivals accounted for 93.2% of the total, followed by same-day visitors at 5.1%, while returning visitors accounted for 1.3% and other categories 0.4%.
The industry last year directly contributed 7.2% to the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) with spending from domestic tourism contributing more than visitors from other countries.
Leisure tourists spent more than business travellers to the country.
This is according to the latest Travel and Tourism Economic Impact 2019 Namibia report released by the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC.)
The research conducted by the WTTC covered 185 countries.
According to the report, the travel and tourism industry in Namibia is expected to generate 122 200 direct jobs by 2029, contributing 15.7% to the country's total employment.
This includes employment by hotels, travel agents, airlines and other passenger transportation services, but excludes commuter services. The figure also includes the activities of the restaurant and leisure industries that are directly supported by tourists.
It is expected that the sector will support 156 400 jobs in total.
The report predicted that direct employment by the industry for this year was expected to grow to 24 500, which is 6.5% of the country's total employment, while sector would create 103 000 indirect jobs in total this year contributing 14.2% of total employment in the country.
The total contribution of travel and tourism to the economy last year was N$20.2 billion (10.9%). According to the report this primarily reflects restaurant and leisure activities directly supported by tourists.
The report also indicates that money spent by foreign visitors to a country - known as visitor exports - is a key component of the direct contribution of the travel and tourism industry.
Last year Namibia generated N$6.3 billion in visitor exports, up from 2017 when the figure stood at N$4.3 billion.
Meanwhile, leisure travel spending, including both inbound and domestic travellers, generated 82% of the direct travel and tourism's contribution to the GDP last year. This is in comparison to the 18% of business travel spending.
Also, domestic travel spending generated 72% of the direct travel and tourism contribution to the country's GDP last year, compared to the 28% for international spending.
Namibia's Tourism Satellite Account (5th Edition) that was launched last year, and analysed data from 2005, showed that Namibia is projected to create close to 50 000 direct jobs and 123 100 indirect jobs by the end of 2020.
It said tourism directly supported more than 44 700 jobs in 2015, which represents 6.5% of the total employment in Namibia, while indirectly it supported 100 700 jobs, representing 14.5% of employment in the country. Meanwhile tourism directly contributed N$5.2 billion in 2015 to the country's GDP, which is equivalent to 3.5% of the total GDP, while the sector indirectly contributed N$15.1 billion, representing 10.2% of GDP. Namibia recorded a record number of 1.6 million foreign arrivals in 2018, representing an increase of 2.2% from 1.57 million previous year. Nearly 1.5 million arrivals were recorded in 2017, an increase of 2.1% from the previous year, when 1.46 million tourists visited Namibia.
Of the 1.6 million foreign arrivals that Namibia received last year, tourist arrivals accounted for 93.2% of the total, followed by same-day visitors at 5.1%, while returning visitors accounted for 1.3% and other categories 0.4%.
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