Adolf Kaure
The CEO of the Hospitality Association of Namibia (HAN), Gitta Paetzold, notes that the latest tourism numbers show that the overall room occupancy for the fourth quarter of 2025 decreased by 2.5%.
This is based on the 2025 Annual Tourism Accommodation occupancy report representing a variety of accommodation categories like hotels, bed and breakfasts (B&Bs) as well as lodges countrywide.
The overall annual room occupancy last year just missed the 52% mark (51.99%).
This is 2.5% lower than the previous year, and down 1.5% on the average attained in 2019.
“What is noticeable and relates perfectly to the visual presence of foreign tourists on the roads across the country and in restaurants and activity centres along the coast is the increase in the number of European tourists making use of accommodation during December last year, compared to 2019,” said Paetzold.
However, the German-speaking countries known collectively as D.A.CH (Germany, Austria and Switzerland) saw a 3% drop last year.
This is still 7% higher than in 2019.
Local occupancy picks up
While generally higher than the rest of the year, the percentage of Namibian guests at establishments in December increased slightly from last year to 31.6%, despite it being slightly down from 37% in 2019.
Neighbouring countries stats blurry
Unfortunately, the report does not reflect the visible increase of visitors from Namibia’s neighbouring countries over the festive season.
“Visitors from neighbouring countries frequented activity hubs and recreational offerings – and we can only assume that unlisted/unregistered accommodation facilities were used to provide accommodation for our visitors from across the border,” she added.
Looking forward to 2026
Paetzold further noted that the Namibian Tourism Industry seems cautiously optimistic about the prospects for 2026.
This will improve even more if several looming challenges are addressed.
These challenges include Namibia being termed an expensive destination.
“This is not due to only the high airfares, but also the services offered on the ground. As such, looming prospects of added levies and taxes on the tourism sector are seen as an added threat to the industry,” she said.
Another major improvement Paetzold noted is the need for better record-keeping and registration of tourism service providers.
She further urged both the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism and the Namibia Tourism Board to ensure that all entities align with the national tourism spatial master plan.
This would be essential to help capture the full scale of tourism development in Namibia.
