• Contact Us
  • About Us
  • Advertisement
  • Privacy & Policy
Friday, July 11, 2025
SUBSCRIBE
The Brief | Namibia's Leading Business & Financial News
26 °c
Windhoek
22 ° Wed
25 ° Thu
  • Home
  • Companies
    • Finance
    • Agriculture
    • Technology
    • Property
    • Trade
    • Tourism
  • Business & Economy
  • Mining & Energy
  • Opinions
    • Analysis
    • Columnists
  • Africa
  • e-edition
No Result
View All Result
The Brief | Namibia's Leading Business & Financial News
  • Home
  • Companies
    • Finance
    • Agriculture
    • Technology
    • Property
    • Trade
    • Tourism
  • Business & Economy
  • Mining & Energy
  • Opinions
    • Analysis
    • Columnists
  • Africa
  • e-edition
No Result
View All Result
The Brief | Namibia's Leading Business & Financial News
Subscribe
No Result
View All Result
TB image banner 750x140
Home Companies Tourism

Tourism sector worries about impact of govt’s reciprocal visa policy

by editor
May 24, 2024
in Tourism
389
A A
12
SHARES
8k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on LinkedIn

The Hospitality Association of Namibia (HAN) worries that the government’s decision to require visas from countries that don’t offer reciprocal visa exemptions will negatively impact the tourism sector and the country’s attractiveness as a destination.

You might also like

O&L Leisure launches rewards programme to encourage local travel

Namibia’s national parks generate over N$140m annually

O&L eyes more tourism acquisitions after Le Mirage and Divava deal

The government implemented visa requirements for citizens from countries that have not reciprocated the nation’s visa exemption policy.

Citizens from over 30 countries will no longer enjoy visa-free access to Namibia if their nations fail to reciprocate visa exemption agreements.

“This announcement comes as a huge disappointment to HAN and a large part of the tourism sector,” HAN Chief Executive Gitta Paetzold told The Brief.

“In this very competitive environment, especially with East Africa, where Kenya just announced visa free entry for all nationals this year, in addition to their advantage of a multitude of direct air access routes into the East-African region, compared to Namibia’s limited access as yet, our efforts to position Namibia as destination of choice may now suffer a huge setback. We do understand the principle of reciprocity, but in terms of tourism, the value of this sector on our national economy is far greater than in the economies of our international source markets.”

She said without details on the operationalisation of the government decision, the sector was not sure on what measures to take to cushion the impact on the industry.

“No consultations were done to determine the negative impact this may have on the travel sector. Namibia has been hard at work to position itself as an open, easily accessible travel destination in Africa. While awaiting more details in terms of implementation date and the process…whether visa on arrival would be offered to all, and at what cost, we are very concerned about the message that this announcement sends out to the global travel trade. Without full details it may be premature to determine mitigating measures,” Paetzold said.

Cirrus Capital said adding visa requirements acts as a barrier to tourists and may disincentivise travel to Namibia, possibly leading them to opt for other countries without visa requirements.

“Should the Ministry of Home Affairs ensure the process for obtaining a visa is efficient and hassle-free, the negative impact on tourism numbers could be reduced,” Cirrus Capital’s Head of Data & Analytics Tannan Groenewald said.

Data shared by Cirrus Capital shows that since 2015, over 70% of tourists in Namibia have come from countries affected by the revocation of visa-free entry into Namibia if their countries do not reciprocate.

“Countries such as Germany, France, the United States and the United Kingdom are included. The affected countries have also increased their contribution to the total number of tourists visiting Namibia. The increased proportion of overseas tourists in the past few years means we are increasingly reliant on easy, hassle-free access for foreigners,” he said.

“The unaffected countries mainly consist of African nations, with South African tourists making up over 60% of visitors from unaffected countries. However, South Africans have gradually made up less of the total tourist arrivals as relatively high inflation in recent years has tightened their travel budgets more so than those in affected countries.”

Groenewald said the tourism sector remains one of the country’s biggest employers, with multiplier effects on the domestic economy.

“Tourism provides a significant number of jobs in the country. According to the 2018 Namibia Labour Force Survey, the Accommodation & Food Services sector made up 11% of all employed persons in the country at the time.

“Tourism typically creates more formal jobs in outlying areas where other formal employment opportunities may be scarce. Additionally, tourism benefits the nation by earning foreign currency, and the sector has large multiplier effects given its linkages and reliance on other domestic economic sectors – including the effect on indirect employment,” he said.

author avatar
editor
See Full Bio
Tags: africa newsCirrus CapitaleconomyGitta Paetzoldnamibianamibia newsnamibia visaTannan Groenewaldtravelvisa
Share192Tweet120Share34
Previous Post

Poultry producers unfazed by lifting of SA ban, still pursuing export plans

Next Post

Govt advised to grant local authorities shares in Namibia mining ventures 

Recommended For You

O&L Leisure launches rewards programme to encourage local travel

by reporter
July 10, 2025
0
O&L Leisure launches rewards programme to encourage local travel

O&L Leisure has introduced a new rewards programme aimed at encouraging more Namibians to travel locally, offering significant discounts on accommodation and dining across its properties. The Leisure...

Read moreDetails

Namibia’s national parks generate over N$140m annually

by reporter
July 9, 2025
0
Northern Namibia leads tourism growth with 58% occupancy in May

Namibia’s protected areas generate more than N$140 million annually from tourism and conservation fees and support the livelihoods of at least 500,000 people, according to a revised draft...

Read moreDetails

O&L eyes more tourism acquisitions after Le Mirage and Divava deal

by reporter
July 8, 2025
0
O&L eyes more tourism acquisitions after Le Mirage and Divava deal

Ohlthaver & List (O&L) says it plans to continue acquiring tourism and hospitality assets in Namibia as part of a long-term strategy to expand its footprint in the...

Read moreDetails

Wilderness Safaris secures clearance for new Namibia luxury lodge

by reporter
July 4, 2025
0
Wilderness Safaris secures clearance for new Namibia luxury lodge

#image_title Wilderness Safaris Namibia has received official environmental clearance for its planned high-end lodge in the Hobatere Roadside Concession, located in the Kunene Region, marking a significant step...

Read moreDetails

Edelweiss to launch direct Zurich–Windhoek flights in June 2026

by reporter
July 2, 2025
0
Edelweiss to launch direct Zurich–Windhoek flights in June 2026

Edelweiss Air will launch a direct, twice-weekly service between Zurich and Windhoek starting 1 June 2026. The non-stop route, operated by Switzerland’s leading leisure airline, will connect Zurich...

Read moreDetails
Next Post
Govt advised to grant local authorities shares in Namibia mining ventures 

Govt advised to grant local authorities shares in Namibia mining ventures 

Related News

Namibia’s 2025/26 budget outlook: Risks, realities, and market sentiment

Namibia’s 2025/26 budget outlook: Risks, realities, and market sentiment

March 28, 2025
Tuwilika

The role of corporate Namibia in tackling SGBV

December 9, 2024
Promoting support systems for employees with serious illnesses

Promoting support systems for employees with serious illnesses

July 16, 2024

Browse by Category

  • Africa
  • Agriculture
  • Analysis
  • Business & Economy
  • Columnists
  • Companies
  • Finance
  • Finance
  • Fisheries
  • Green Hydrogen
  • Health
  • Investing
  • Latest
  • Market
  • Mining & Energy
  • Namibia
  • namibia
  • News
  • Opinions
  • Property
  • Retail
  • Technology
  • Tourism
  • Trade
The Brief | Namibia's Leading Business & Financial News

The Brief is Namibia's leading daily business, finance and economic news publication.

CATEGORIES

  • Business & Economy
  • Companies
    • Agriculture
    • Finance
    • Fisheries
    • Health
    • Property
    • Retail
    • Technology
    • Tourism
    • Trade
  • Finance
  • Green Hydrogen
  • Investing
  • Latest
  • Market
  • Mining & Energy
  • namibia
  • News
    • Africa
    • Namibia
  • Opinions
    • Analysis
    • Columnists

CONTACT US

Cell: +264814612969

Email: newsdesk@thebrief.com.na

© 2025 The Brief | All Rights Reserved. Namibian Business News, Current Affairs, Analysis and Commentary

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Companies
  • Mining & Energy
  • Business & Economy
  • Opinions
    • Analysis
    • Columnists
  • Africa

© 2025 The Brief | All Rights Reserved. Namibian Business News, Current Affairs, Analysis and Commentary

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.