Windhoek Country Club Resort and Casino is seeing a shift in its revenue sources, with increased demand for conferencing services helping to offset a decline in casino performance.
According to board chairperson Evans Simataa, the resort’s diversified operations have allowed it to maintain stability despite fluctuations in specific business areas.
“Over the past few years, different sectors have driven revenue at different times. The advantage of having a diversified business is that when one area slows down, another can offset the loss,” he said.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Simataa noted that their casino operations helped sustain them. Now that the casino business has declined, conferencing has picked up significantly and is helping to carry the load.
“Our rooms also performed well during the period when oil companies were actively drilling. Many of those workers stayed with us. However, now that drilling has paused, room occupancy has dipped slightly. Fortunately, conferencing demand has increased and is helping to support overall performance,” he said.
He noted that the casino side is stable, but table games aren’t performing as strongly, however due to the benefit of a balanced portfolio, when one area falters, another can gain momentum.
“Overall, the business is holding up well. As the economy improves, so do we. Increased business and leisure travel, particularly from people involved in mining, oil, and green hydrogen has a direct and positive impact on our operations,” he said on the sidelines of the Club’s 30th Anniversary this week.
Legacy Hotels and Resorts chairman and CEO Bart Dorrestein said community upliftment has been central to the resort’s operations and sustainability for the past 30 years.
“We have to go out and make Namibia great again. We’ve got to make Namibia’s economy fly on the backbone of the hope, the drive and will of the poor for better days to come. We have to see them as an asset by bringing them into the economy. They represent the demand and drive economic growth,” added said.
Over the years, the Windhoek Country Club Resort has hosted several high-profile events, including the 44th Miss Universe pageant in 1995 and the 11th Conference of the Parties (COP11). These events helped establish the venue as a key location for international gatherings in Namibia.
Dorrestein noted that after hosting the Miss Universe pageant, Namibia’s tourism increased by over 11% due to the exposure created by the show, which was livestreamed worldwide to over 6 million people.
This comes as WCCR paid a N$25 million dividend payout to the government for the 2023/24 financial year during a handover ceremony, marking the second consecutive year of shareholder returns.
The resort is projecting a 6% increase in operational revenue, reaching N$218 million in 2025, with continued growth forecast for the following year.
Looking ahead, WCCR anticipates revenue from operations will increase to N$231 million in 2026, representing a steady annual growth rate of 5%.
“Looking ahead, we anticipate continued positive momentum, with operational revenue projected to increase by 6% to N$218 million in 2025 and further to N$231 million in 2026,” Simataa said.
