Namibia’s northern regions experienced a significant surge in tourism during August 2024, with occupancy rates reaching an impressive 70.42%, official data shows.
The surge was primarily driven by an increase in wedding-related activities, as both wedding couples and attendees sought accommodations in the region during the peak season.
In contrast, according to Simonis Storm Securities (SSS), the southern and central regions saw declines, with occupancy rates dropping to 56.38% and 51.88%, respectively.
The coastal region also recorded a slight year-on-year decrease to 66.22%, yet it experienced a 6.4% month-on-month rise from July’s figure of 59.8%.
“Leisure travel remained dominant in August 2024, accounting for 92.91% of total room occupancy. Business travel saw a year-on-year increase, contributing 6.48%, while conference-related stays, though still minimal, rose to 0.61% compared to the previous August,” said the firm in a report.
Despite these gains, SSS noted that business and conference travel continue to play a minor role in comparison to the substantial share of leisure travellers.
This comes as in August 2024, the national occupancy rate in the hospitality sector decreased to 63%, down from 68.9% in August 2023.
However, on a month-on-month basis, the sector experienced an improvement of 3.28% from July to August 2024.
“Local travel experienced a notable rise, with Namibian visitors accounting for 14.91% of total occupancy in August 2024, up from 16.39% in July 2024. Conversely, South African tourist numbers almost halved, declining from 6.30% in July to 3.69% in August 2024,” said SSS.
Visitors from the rest of Africa saw a year-on-year increase, with their share rising to 1.67% from 0.90% in the previous year.
Meanwhile, European visitors remained the largest segment, increasing from 66.33% in July 2024 to 70.28% in August 2024.
“This growth may reflect potential seasonal fluctuations or evolving travel preferences compared to prior years. The Middle East saw a slight decline from 0.6% to 0.3% year-on-year, while Asia’s share decreased from 2.0% to 1.69%,” noted the firm.
Similarly, South American visitors experienced a modest decline from 0.74% to 0.63%.
“North America, however, saw a marginal increase, rising from 3.65% in August 2023 to 3.68% in the current period,” said SSS.
The ‘rest of the world’ category registered a sharp decrease from 5.21% to 0.55%.
European tourists continued to dominate Namibia’s international visitor profile in August 2024, making up 70.28% of foreign arrivals, the highest percentage recorded this year.
“Among the European countries, Austria, Germany, and Switzerland were the top contributors, collectively representing 31.68% of all European visitors,” said the report.
Similarly, Italy demonstrated significant growth, with its market share rising sharply from 4.48% in July to 12.91% in August. France ranked third, contributing 9.88% to the European segment, a rise from 6.33% year-on-year.
“Spanish and Portuguese arrivals also grew, from 3.35% in August 2023 to 3.73% in August 2024. Additionally, Namibia attracted attention from emerging markets such as the Baltic countries (Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania),” noted SSS.
The Benelux region (Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg) posted impressive year-on-year growth, with their market share increasing from 0.07% to 6.20% in August 2024.
The Firm highlighted that these developments underscore the increasing significance of European tourism to Namibia’s hospitality industry.
