Foreign arrivals up by 95%

Namibia recorded more than 1.05 million foreign arrivals in 2023, a massive increase of 95.4% from the 593 601 in the previous year. The number of tourists who visited Namibia increased to 863 872 in 2023, up 87.4% from the previous year’s 461 027. This figure brings Namibia to a 54% recovery level regarding tourist arrival numbers in 2019, considered the last ‘normal’ year for tourism before the pandemic.This was announced yesterday by tourism minister Pohamba Shifeta when he launched the 2023 tourist statistical report.According to the report, of the 1.05 million foreign arrivals Namibia received last year, tourists accounted for 81.9% while excursions (same-day visitors) provided a 14% share, returning residents 3.3% and the remaining 0.7% was made up of other visitors. Shifeta said the notable increase demonstrates that the demand for Namibia as a tourist destination is steadily growing.“Moreover, the level of recovery, although slightly slow, indicates that the government and private sector efforts are progressively bearing positive results. The gap is only 46%, which we hope will be radically reduced by the end of the current 2024 tourism season.”SA leads the packThe main source market for tourists to Namibia came from South Africa (349 729), Angola (112 336), Germany (79 989), Zambia (56 243) and Botswana (56 157) in 2023. According to the report, Namibia continued to witness a robust arrival of tourists, with the African market emerging as the primary driver of this growth, comprising a substantial 71.8% of total tourist arrivals. In 2023, the growth in tourist arrivals from overseas markets compared to 2022 was quite significant at 18.4%, indicating a notable increase, it read. These overseas arrivals amounted to 243 205, representing 28% of the total tourist arrivals for the year. “Despite facing global challenges, Namibia maintained its allure among international visitors, with the European market accounting for 21.5% of arrivals.”It, however, said the American market - while present - constituted a smaller proportion of just 4% of the overall tourist arrivals, highlighting the potential opportunities for further growth and diversification in that market.Here for a good timeThe primary reason for tourist arrivals in Namibia in 2023 was ‘holiday’, making up 49.1% of visits. Following closely behind, 31.3% of tourists came to visit friends or relatives. Conversely, tourist arrivals for business, transit and other purposes represented 15.8%, 3.6% and 0.2% respectively.In terms of leisure and holiday purposes, South Africa (160 621), Germany (71 172) and Angola (33 699) emerged as the leading contributors. However, for business purposes, South Africa (80 568), Zambia (13 342) and Zimbabwe (9 653) took the top spots.When considering overseas tourists specifically, Germany, the United States of America and the United Kingdom comprised the largest share of holidaymakers. Meanwhile, for business visits to Namibia, the United Kingdom, Germany and China were the top contributors. ChallengesShifeta said the tourism sector must also acknowledge the challenges it faces today. “The global economic landscape, climate change and occasional security concerns continue to impact our tourism industry.”Looking ahead, their vision is to promote Namibia as the leading tourism destination in sub-Saharan Africa and beyond, he noted. “We aim to enhance our infrastructure further, improve service delivery and continue promoting Namibia globally.”He said strategies for this include expanding the country’s tourism portfolio to include niche markets such as sports tourism, medical tourism and conference tourism, and promoting sustainable tourism practices to preserve natural resources and cultural heritage, collaboration as well as leveraging technology to enhance the tourist experience - from seamless booking processes to virtual tours that showcase our destinations to the world.

Foreign arrivals up by 95%

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Namibian Sun 2025-07-15

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Foreign arrivals up by 95%

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Namibian Sun 2025-07-15

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