…lodges recorded the strongest growth
Namibia’s room occupancy rate increased to 62.6% in July 2026 from 58.5% in June, supported by stronger demand across most regions during the peak tourism season, according to the Namibia Statistics Agency (NSA).
The NSA said the Rooms Occupancy Rate Index increased by 7.0% month-on-month, following growth of 4.1% in June, while the index was up 2.1% year-on-year.
A total of 40,086 rooms were occupied during July out of 64,003 rooms available.
“The monthly increase was primarily driven by improved occupancy rates across hospitality establishments in all regions, except the northern region, which recorded a decline during the month under review,” the NSA said.
The southern region recorded the strongest month-on-month improvement in room occupancy at 30.4%, followed by the coastal region at 16.7% and the central region at 12.5%. The northern region recorded a 5.6% decline.
Occupancy rates also increased across all accommodation categories, with tented lodges recording the highest rate at 75.0%, up from 54.9% in June.
Tented camps followed at 66.0%, guest houses at 63.6%, guest farms at 61.9% and hotels at 61.4%.
“In July 2026, room occupancy rates increased across all the accommodation categories compared to the previous month. Tented lodges recorded the strongest performance during the month under review, with occupancy rates rising to 75.0 percent from 54.9 percent in June 2026,” the NSA said.
Bed occupancy recorded stronger growth during the month, with the Bed Occupancy Rate Index increasing by 34.3% month-on-month and 3.6% year-on-year.
A total of 77,107 beds were occupied in July, with the NSA attributing the increase to stronger demand for accommodation services despite a decline in the overall number of available beds.
“The increase in the number of occupied beds was primarily attributed to higher demand for accommodation services during the review period, resulting in an increase in bed occupancy despite a decline in the overall number of available beds between June and July 2026,” the agency said.
The northern region recorded the largest month-on-month increase in bed occupancy at 41.7%, followed by the southern region at 37.6%. The central and coastal regions recorded increases of 20.6% and 20.2%, respectively.
By accommodation category, lodges recorded the strongest growth in bed occupancy at 67.9%, followed by tented camps at 61.6% and guest houses at 58.8%.
