Tented camps registered the highest room and bed occupancy rates among Namibia’s hospitality establishments in June 2025, despite an overall decline in nationwide occupancy levels, the Namibia Statistics Agency (NSA) has reported.
According to the NSA, tented camps achieved a room occupancy rate of 58.0% and a bed occupancy rate of 51.5%.
However, overall room occupancy across the country fell by 6.5% compared to May, a sharper decline than the marginal 0.1% drop recorded the previous month. Year-on-year, room occupancy still rose by 8.5%.
“The monthly decline was largely driven by reduced room occupancy rates in hospitality establishments in the southern and northern regions, whereas the central and coastal regions recorded increases,” the NSA said.
The southern region recorded the steepest decline, with occupancy down by 13.4%, followed by the northern region at 8.0%. In contrast, the central and coastal regions saw increases of 31.1% and 14.6%, respectively.
In June 2025, 60,593 rooms were available nationwide, of which 31,100 (51.3%) were sold. This compared to 61,853 rooms available in May, with 33,957 sold, reflecting an occupancy rate of 54.9%. In the southern region, 23,590 rooms were available in June, compared to 20,637 in May and 21,944 in June 2024.
A total of 11,382 rooms were sold, slightly down from 11,501 in May but up from 10,088 in June 2024. The northern region offered 22,813 rooms, selling 12,247 and leaving 10,566 unsold.
Across accommodation categories, room occupancy fell in June, with guest houses the only exception, rising to 55.4% from 53.7%. Despite a month-on-month decline, tented camps remained the strongest performers at 58.0%, down from 62.1% in May.
Hotels dropped to 49.8% from 53.7%, rest camps fell sharply to 44.6% from 62.3%, and guest farms declined to 40.6% from 51.7%.
Meanwhile, the Bed Occupancy Rate Index recorded a sharper month-on-month fall of 9.3% in June, following a 3.1% decline in May. On an annual basis, the index was down 1.8%.
“The monthly decline in bed occupancy was largely driven by reduced levels across all hospitality categories during the review period,” the NSA said. The northern region experienced the largest fall in bed occupancy at 15.2%, followed by the southern region at 11.7%. In contrast, the central and coastal regions reported growth of 18.0% and 11.7%, respectively.
Nationwide, 57,730 beds were sold from 136,136 available, compared to 63,226 beds sold from 135,175 available in May. This reflected an increase in bed supply but a fall in demand.
By type of establishment, tented camps again led the way with the highest bed occupancy at 51.5%, followed by guest houses at 44.9%. Hotels recorded 40.8%, while guest farms and rest camps trailed at 30.0% and 25.1%, respectively.
