The Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism says Namibia’s tourism industry recorded 863,872 international visitor arrivals in 2023, an 87.4% increase.
According to the Annual Tourist Statistical Report for 2023, released Monday by Minister of Environment, Forestry and Tourism Pohamba Shifeta, this represents a significant growth from the 461,027 arrivals recorded in 2022.
While the figures are still 46% below pre-pandemic levels of 2019, the recovery trajectory is promising.
“The year 2023 proved to be a good year with regard to the tourist arrivals. It has been a significant recovery after the negative effect of Covid-19 on international tourist arrivals. I am delighted to report that Namibia received 863,872 international/inbound tourist arrivals in 2023. The growth from 2022 (461,027) to 2023 is at 87.4%,” he said.
He further explained that the upward trend for foreign arrivals continued in 2023, with a 95.4% increase in foreign arrivals compared to the previous year.
While tourists made up the majority of visitors at 81.9%, the country also welcomed excursionists, returning residents, and other visitors.
“Out of the total inbound international tourist arrival numbers, 84.1% came specifically for holidays, 9.4% for visiting friends/relatives, 4.2% for business travel and 2.3% were in transit to other destinations,” Shifeta said.
Overseas markets also contributed to this growth, with an 18.4% increase in arrivals compared to 2022.
While South Africa remains the top source market from Africa, Germany continues to lead the overseas market.
Angola, Zambia, Botswana and Zimbabwe are also key African markets, while the United States, United Kingdom, France and the Netherlands are prominent European contributors.
Namibia is also witnessing increased interest from emerging markets like Canada and China.
“In summary, South Africa, Angola, Germany, Zambia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, United States, UK, France and Netherlands made up the top 10 overall tourist source markets for Namibia in 2023,” he said.
Shifeta also said Africa remains the primary driver of tourism, contributing 71.8% of total arrivals, with neighbouring SADC countries playing a crucial role.
Europe accounts for 21.5% of visitors, while the American market represents 4.0%.
“Tourists typically stay for an average of 14 nights, with a significant portion choosing stays between 4-7 nights or 8-14 nights,” he said.
Moreover, land borders remain the most popular entry point, with the Southern and North Eastern borders seeing the highest traffic.
Air travel accounts for 22.1% of arrivals, with Airlink being the leading airline. December, August and November are peak tourist months, while May, February and June are quieter periods.
“The majority of visitors, representing 36.8% of the total inbound tourists came to Namibia between September and December of 2023, 31.9% arrived between May to August and 31.4% between the months of January to April 2023,” Shifeta said.
