Namibia’s tourism industry experienced a temporary setback in June 2024, with the national average occupancy rate dropping to 47.3%, official figures show.
According to the latest figures from Simonis Storm, the 47.3%, reflects a decline compared to the 60.3% reported in May 2024 and the 50.1% of June 2023.
According to Simonis Storm Junior Economist Halleluya Ndimulunde, the decline can likely be attributed to seasonal variations.
European travellers, who comprised 65.9% of visitors in May 2024, typically favour warmer destinations during their summer months. This shift in travel preferences is reflected in the decrease to 53.7% of European arrivals in June.
“This decline likely reflects seasonal variations and shifting travel preferences, with Europeans traveling to warmer regions during their summer,” she said.
Despite the June dip, the northern region, which hosted the inaugural Etotha Carnival during this period, achieved the highest occupancy rate at 56.0%.
In contrast, the central region witnessed the lowest occupancy rate at a mere 17.6%, despite hosting significant events like AViaDev Africa and the African Hospitality Investment Forum in Windhoek towards the end of the month.
“Tourist entry points were dominated by southern border posts, accounting for 39.1% of arrivals, followed by northeastern border posts at 23.4% and Hosea Kutako International Airport (HKIA) at 11.2%. This distribution highlights the importance of land borders in facilitating regional tourism and the critical role of the main international airport,” Ndimulunde said.
Additionally, local travel witnessed an uptick, with Namibian visitors occupying establishments rising from 17.7% in May to 22.5% in June.
Similarly, South African tourists doubled their share, increasing from 6.1% to 12.8% in June 2024. The rest of Africa’s occupancy dipped to 0.8% in June 2024.
“On average, tourists stayed for 14 nights in 2023, a slight decrease from 16 nights in 2022. Road travel was the most popular mode of transport (73.7%), followed by air travel (22.1%) and sea travel (4.2%), indicating the accessibility and infrastructure supporting road and air travel within the country,” Ndimulunde said.
Notably, leisure travel dominated the influx, accounting for a substantial 81.9% (863,872) of total arrivals. South Africa emerged as the top tourist market in 2023, followed by Angola and Germany.
Other key markets included Zambia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and the Netherlands.
“The age profile of overseas tourists showed a significant portion of travellers were older, with 47.9% of American and 36.3% of European visitors being 60 years or older. Interestingly, 25.0% of Asian tourists were aged 40 and above. This demographic suggests that Namibia’s attractions appeal to an older, possibly retired, demographic with more time and resources for extended travel,” she said.
Ndimulunde further said that same-day visitors made 14.0% or 147,922 visits. A closer look at the quarters provides a more nuanced picture.
Compared to the first quarter of 2023, the national average occupancy rate in Q2 2024 actually improved, rising from 43.4% to 54.8%. This aligns with the typical tourism seasonality in Namibia.
“Seasonality in travel patterns was evident, with the highest tourist arrivals occurring from May to August (31.9%), followed by September to December (36.8%) and January to April (31.4%). This seasonal distribution aligns with Namibia’s climate and holiday seasons in major tourist markets,” she said
However, when compared to the pre-pandemic second quarter of 2019 (54.0%), Q2 2024 shows a slight decline, she said.
