Namibia’s tourism sector is facing pressure due to “significantly reduced” forward bookings for 2026. Industry stakeholders, particularly the Hospitality Association of Namibia (HAN), attribute this downturn to a combination of factors, including limited airlift capacity, new visa constraints, and updated travel advisories from key source markets.
According to tourismupdate.com, the full-year statistics posted by the Hospitality Association of Namibia (HAN) indicate an average room occupancy of 52% for the association’s 157 members in 2025. This represents a 2.5% decline from 2024 and is 1.5% below 2019 levels.
HAN CEO Gitta Paetzold said limited airlift, along with visa constraints due to the country’s reciprocal visa system introduced in 2025, affected forward bookings.
“Forward bookings are noticeably down on previous years with ease of access and visa issues notably more challenging than in the past – and given as a reason for the slow stream of reservation confirmations for 2026.” Perceptions of Namibia as a high-cost destination, exacerbated by elevated airfares, on-ground services and potential new levies and taxes are additional concerns, Paetzold added.
“Namibia’s ranking as the world’s most authentic destination, supported by sustainable travel appeal, remains a strength. However, concerns about tourist safety, visa access and advisory updates are dampening advance bookings,” she said. Canada updated its travel advisory for Namibia in early January, urging travellers to exercise a high degree of caution due to “significant crime risks” and financial fraud such as card cloning and ATM scams. Paetzold said, with neighbouring countries such as Angola, Zambia and South Africa investing heavily in infrastructure and marketing, Namibia needs to work harder to secure 2026 market share.
“With the Angolan government investing heavily in tourism infrastructure and destination marketing, Namibia is well advised to focus on synergy and collaboration to address the current challenges of safety, positioning, pricing and promotion to ensure we remain top of mind for global travellers.” Paetzold called for better record-keeping and registration of tourism service providers to capture the full scale of tourism development in Namibia. Namibia’s Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism only released its 2024 Tourist Statistical Report at the end of 2025. According to the report, just over 1,257 million international tourists visited the country in 2024 – equating to 79% of the pre-COVID 2019 peak of 1,595 million visitors.
