Highest passenger numbers since Covid

The overall passenger numbers arriving and departing on international, regional and domestic flights in Namibia last year reached the highest point since 2019.

The year 2019 is known as the last pre-pandemic year for tourism.

According to a report by Simonis Storm, last year the total number stood at just over one million, while in 2019 the number was slightly more than 1.2 million. It then dropped to 300 000 in 2020, increased slightly to 350 00 in 2021 and totalled about 900 000 in 2022.

The report said the total number of passengers arriving last year was 514 533, while the total number of departures was 499 398.

The majority of this passenger traffic was recorded at Hosea Kutako International Airport, with Walvis Bay and Eros airports following in second and third.

“Initial indicators suggest that the local tourism and hospitality industry is continuing its recovery.”

Occupancy rates

This year, January occupancy rates at hospitality establishments nationwide remained higher than those before the pandemic, the report noted. However, they were slightly below the levels seen in January 2023.

Room occupancy stood at 36.8% in January 2024, compared to 39% in December 2023 and 37.1% in January 2023.

In January, coastal regions emerged as the most sought-after holiday destinations, boasting an occupancy rate of 55.39% above pre-Covid levels of about 38% - the highest among all regions.

Following coastal regions were central areas with a 47.1% occupancy rate, southern areas with 33.8% and northern areas with 29.8%, the report read.

Nationwide, approximately 92.3% of establishments were occupied for leisure purposes in January, a slight decrease from 96.7% in December 2023.

Business-related occupancy increased to 7.7% from 3.2% in December 2023, with central areas being the preferred destination.

Conference-related occupancy, however, dropped to 0.02% from 0.13% in December 2023, with central areas remaining the main destination.

Post-holiday normalisation

According to report, the percentage of Namibians visiting hospitality establishments fell to 24.9% in January this year, down from 33% in December 2023 and 29.6% in January 2023.

“This decline is consistent with the usual post-holiday normalisation of travel.”

A significant portion of visitors came from German-speaking countries, as well as France and Italy.

Specifically, visitors from Germany, Switzerland and Austria made up 35.2%, an increase from 27.3% in December 2023 and 31.6% in January 2023.

Other sources of visitors included South Africa at 8%; the United States of America and Canada at 3.2%; France at 3.3%; Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg at 4.1%; the United Kingdom and Ireland at 3%; Asia at 2.2%, and other European countries at 4.5%. Visitors from the remaining countries each contributed less than 2% to the total visitor share.

“We maintain confidence that tourism could potentially be one of the strongest performing sectors of the Namibian economy in 2024,” the report read.

Potential for growth

Although business and conference tourism still lags behind 2019 levels, there is potential for significant growth, especially as certain hospitality establishments are poised to accommodate guests attending events such as the Africa Hospitality Investment Forum and the AviaDev Africa event.

The organisers of AviaDev, set to take place in Windhoek in June, have announced that 26 airlines have registered to participate so far, suggesting significant interest and the potential economic impact to particularly the tourism and hospitality industry.

Furthermore, the Hospitality Association of Namibia highlighted that January marks the beginning of the tourism low season in Namibia. The observed increase in visitors during this traditionally slower period is a positive indicator that the country's tourism industry is gradually overcoming its seasonal fluctuations, it said.

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