As stated by Almandro Jansen, who is a junior economist at Simonis Storm, the hotel occupancy rate for April 2025 stood at 55%, which is just under the 58.19% noted in April 2024, yet still above the 54.73% seen before the pandemic in April 2019.
Recreational trips maintained their lead, making up 95.16% of total room nights in April. In contrast, business journeys represented 3.92%, and conference-related accommodations stayed low at 0.92%. These figures align with the trends observed in April 2024, as mentioned.
The coastal area surpassed all other regions, achieving an occupancy rate of 60.79%, which is an improvement from 45.95% in March. This growth can be attributed primarily to Easter holiday travel, as many people living inland chose to visit the coastline during this period.
According to Jansen, “Travelers focused on business favored coastal hotels, bolstered by international groups linked to Namibia’s energy industry. The coast saw the highest business occupancy at 10.98% among all areas.”
Month-over-month, April saw an increase in occupancy by 24.1% compared to March, setting the record for the highest monthly rate in 2025 up until now.
Nevertheless, the year-to-date average occupancy rate stands at 41.79%, which remains lower than the 2019 year-to-date average of 44.92%.
The economist pointed out that Namibia’s emphasis on attracting upscale international visitors helps insulate the tourism industry from wider fluctuations.
“Luxurious trips often prove more stable during economic slumps since wealthy travelers usually maintain their spending habits on vacations. Adopting this strategy helps preserve income stability and guarantees ongoing visits from big-budget foreign tourists whose contributions significantly boost the economy,” stated Jansen.
The occupancy rate in the north was 55.5%, bolstered by events like the Nedbank Namibia Newspaper Cup and the Private Schools’ Weekend held in Outjo.
In Southern Namibia, the occupancy rate increased to 53.65% from 48.01% in March. Meanwhile, the central region saw the lowest occupancy rate at 44.41%, which was still an improvement compared to February’s figure of 41.55%.
Countries where German is spoken continued to lead in terms of incoming international visitors.
“Similar to prior months, the bulk of international travelers arriving in Namibia during April 2025 originated from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland — together making up 40.29% of all entries,” stated Jansen.
Intracountry trips accounted for 19.3% of the occupancy rate, which is a decline from 26.52% observed in March.
French travelers made up 6.9% of the total. The Benelux region (which includes Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg) saw an increase from 4.43% to 5.31%, thanks largely to direct flights from Frankfurt and the newly established Munich-Windhoek route. Meanwhile, the number of visitors from South Africa went up slightly to 7.23% from 7.13%.
Provided by Syndigate Media Inc. (
Syndigate.info
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