Namibia’s tourism industry has bounced back to pre-pandemic occupancy levels, but growing concerns over slowing future bookings are casting uncertainty over the sector’s outlook ahead of the peak travel season.
National accommodation occupancy rates in April climbed to 54.8% — matching pre-pandemic levels recorded in 2019 and slightly surpassing the same period last year.
According to the CEO of the Hospitality Association of Namibia (HAN) Gitta Paetzold, the latest figures signal renewed momentum for the country’s tourism industry after a slow start to the year.
Paetzold said April’s performance mirrored the 54.7% occupancy rate achieved in 2019, while also improving on April 2025’s figure of 53.2%.
She attributed the improved performance largely to Easter and Spring holiday travel from Namibia’s international source markets, following what is traditionally the industry’s low season during the first quarter of the year.
“The first quarter only achieved some 36% occupancy, making the April results particularly encouraging,” she said.
European markets continued to dominate arrivals, with German-speaking countries in Europe — commonly referred to as the DACH region — accounting for 36.5% of occupancy, while France contributed 10.94%.
Although the DACH market was about 2% lower than last year’s performance, both regions showed significant growth compared to pre-pandemic figures. In April 2019, the DACH countries recorded occupancy levels of 30.83%, while France accounted for only 6%.
Despite the positive outlook, Paetzold cautioned that the industry remains watchful as Namibia approaches its peak tourism season from July onward.
“As we are approaching our high season, the tourism industry is watching developing trends with cautious optimism,” she said.
She noted that several key tourism operators have reported a decline of roughly 20% in forward booking inquiries over recent months compared to previous years.
According to Paetzold, the slowdown may be linked to growing global political uncertainty, increasing international airfare prices, and stronger competition from regional destinations, particularly Angola.
She said Angola has aggressively positioned itself as an emerging tourism destination through large-scale infrastructure development, improved accessibility and an ambitious international marketing campaign.
Angola’s tourism brand campaign, “Visit Angola – The Rhythm of Life”, launched in 2025, promotes the country’s biodiversity, culture, nature and transformation agenda.
At the same time, Angola has introduced visa exemptions for citizens from 97 countries, including 14 African nations, in a move aimed at boosting accessibility and regional travel.
The recently launched Dr António Agostinho Neto International Airport in Luanda is also expected to significantly strengthen the country’s tourism ambitions, with the airport capable of handling up to 15 million passengers annually.
International connectivity to Angola continues to expand through major airlines including Lufthansa, TAP Air Portugal, Air France, Emirates, Qatar Airways and Turkish Airlines.
Paetzold said Namibia should consider strengthening strategic tourism and transport links with Angola to improve regional connectivity and create more competitive travel offerings within Southern Africa.
