Tourism sector witnesses positive growth in April
Gitta Paetzold, Chief Executive of the Hospitality Association of Namibia (HAN), unveiled promising insights from the latest tourism accommodation data for April, signaling another boost for the country’s tourism industry.
Paetzold emphasized a significant uptick in tourism activity, with April’s national average occupancy surpassing 58%, marking a nearly 7% surge compared to the previous year and a 4% increase compared to April 2019.
European markets continue to dominate Namibia’s tourism sector, Paetzold noted, with encouraging increases observed in visitor numbers from various European countries. However, German-speaking nations maintain a prominent position.
“What is particularly encouraging is the gradual return of business travel, with over 13% of April’s accommodation attributed to business travel, especially in the hotel segment,” Paetzold remarked. She highlighted that last year, business and conference travel accounted for just over 8%, whereas in 2019, business travel constituted 13.5% of accommodation numbers, with conferencing at 3.6%.
With Namibia gearing up to host major events in the coming weeks and months, Paetzold anticipates this trend continuing, particularly with a strong uptick expected in conference business.
Paetzold also addressed the camping segment of Namibia’s tourism industry, noting its underrepresentation in reporting despite efforts by HAN to include this category. She pointed out the prevalence of self-drive travelers and visible campers across the country, indicating higher camping activity than officially reported.
Acknowledging the impact of online booking platforms, which contribute additional revenue streams to Namibia’s tourism sector, Paetzold emphasized the importance of capturing these contributions accurately in official tourism revenue and tax declarations.
