With its unique mix of wildlife, spectacular scenery and diverse cultures, Namibia is in high demand for international visitors during the looming high season.
The high demand from long-haul source markets has also seen a sharp rise in flight prices during the high season, which runs from July to October.
The government-owned Namibia Wildlife Resorts had earlier announced that about 4 000 tourists are expected to visit the Fish River Canyon in the //Kharas region this year alone.
In an interview with New Era yesterday, the Hospitality Association of Namibia (HAN)’s chief executive officer, Gitta Paetzold confirmed Namibia is high in demand and it seems the Covid-19 situation has taken a backseat.
“People are just keen to travel. In Europe, there is chaos at airports due to the high demand for travel to the travel hotspots in Europe. That calls for even more demand for destinations further away and it would seem that currently, people even tolerate the high flight prices,” she said.
With Qatar Airways resuming its three-week Namibia flights between Doha and Windhoek, Paetzold is hopeful that connecting Namibia to the world three times a week, the added air access will provide more competition and choice to normalise the rates again.
“Here in Namibia, some establishments report an almost 100% forward booking rate for the next three months, which is the main holiday season for our main source market or Europe. So, 2022 seems to develop into a very good year, and we hope that this positive trend will continue,” she remarked.
Asked about Namibia’s international tourism revival, she said the revival strategy is working well.
This, she based on May with its 39% occupancy level which showed a 70% return to normal levels of 2019 before Covid-19 hit.
However, she raised concern that the rising food prices due to the Russia and Ukraine conflict remains a concern for the global travel industry going forward.
“So once again, optimism has its limits,” she said.
Namibia’s natural attractions include the Namib Desert, which is the oldest desert in the world, the Fish River Canyon, which is the second-largest canyon after the Grand Canyon, the world-famous sand dunes at Sossusvlei, the Skeleton Coast with its extraordinary landscapes, and Etosha National Park, one of the largest game reserves in Africa.
– anakale@nepc.com.na