Namibia Q3 hotel occupancy tops pre-COVID despite visa-on-arrival change
Namibia’s hotel occupancy rose in Q3 2025 to a nationwide average of 65.9%, surpassing Q3 2019 (64.75%) and Q3 2024 (63.2%), despite the government’s shift to visa-on-arrival for previously exempt top source markets on 1 April. The Hospitality Association of Namibia (HAN) reported the figures from 133 properties, easing earlier concerns about the impact on the July – October high season.
Growth was led by overseas markets: the DACH region accounted for 33.9% of bed nights, up from 31.2% in 2019, with France rising to 7.9% and Italy to 8.5%, offsetting a drop in domestic share to 13.4% from 22.7%. HAN CEO Gitta Paetzold said direct air links to core markets are supporting performance but warned that limited connectivity remains a constraint, with forward bookings for 2026 arriving more slowly than in previous years due to high airfares and global political uncertainty.
Source: Tourism Update
