Occupancy rates in the tourism sector are very close to pre-pandemic levels, according to the latest statistics for the third quarter of 2023, released by the Hospitality Association of Namibia (HAN).
HAN Chief Executive, Gitta Paetzold, stated in her commentary that September 2023 was just over 2% down on 2019 levels while quarterly figures were marginally above 2019 Q3.
“Comparing month to month, September 2023 was just over 2% down on 2019 levels, thus halting the trend of growth on recovery levels that both July and August had set this year,” she said.
“The 3rd quarter of 2023 ended with a 65% occupancy of accommodation establishments across the sector and the country, – which is higher, than the end-result of the same period in 2019, even if just a quarter of a percent. Comparative figures indicate that the growth is mainly thanks to the increase in arrivals from Central Europe, with the German-speaking countries, (D.A.CH), as well as France and Italy all ending more than 3% higher than the levels of 2019.”
“In discussions with the wider travel industry it was emphasized, that the accommodation performance indicators do exceed the level of recovery of the larger tour operation sector, – which reveals that the online reservations and self-drive component of the Namibian tourism market was the first to fully recover and grow.”
“Leisure travel still dominates the occupancy numbers at Namibian accommodation establishments, although some hotels are reporting a gradual increase in demand for business and conference packages.”
Describing the third quarter results as encouraging, HAN said an early prognosis for 2024 would indicate further recovery in the group-travel market with booking at this point looking promising.
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