By Matthew Dlamini
Her optimism stems from data showing that a
national hotel occupancy rate of 39,4% was recorded during May 2022, up from
36,5% in the prior month and 25,1% in May 2021.
"We are 70% towards the level of
normality we had in 2019. Meaning, while the May 2019 figures for hotel rooms
occupied climbed up to 55,8%, in May this year we were just under 40%, which is
about 70% of normalcy," she said.
This is the highest national occupancy rate
since the outbreak of the Covid pandemic, and the occupancy rate for May 2022
is the first monthly data to surpass February 2020 figures.
According to a Simonis Storm analysis of
the data year-to-date (YTD), the national occupancy rate averages 29,1%, compared
to 22,5% for the same period in 2021, showing an improvement in bookings made
with hospitality establishments nationwide.
The proportion of Namibian visitors at
local establishments continues on to decline. During May 2022, 30,6% of guests
were Namibians, compared to 37,7% during the prior month and 83,3% in the
second quarter of 2020.
"Most visitors in May 2022 came from
Germany, Switzerland and Austria (32,1%), South Africa (8,5%), France (7,9%),
Benelux (4,8%) and the United Kingdom and Ireland (2,7%) during May 2022,"
said Simonis.
"As specials to locals disappear and
tourist inflows improve, we see a higher proportion of foreigners - who
arguably have great spending power. This will benefit local hospitality
establishments and lead to positive spill-over effects in other industries such
as financial services retail, car rentals, restaurants, and informal businesses
like crafts and general services," added Simonis.
COASTAL VISITS DECLINE
Regarding purpose of travel into Namibia,
HAN data say 94,6% came for leisure, 2,8% for business and 2,6% for
conferences.
Hospitality establishments in the central
area recorded the highest occupancy rate (47,7%), followed by the northern area
(41,7%), coastal area (35,5%) and southern area (35,3%) in May 2022.
Tourists visiting the central and northern
areas have been on an increase YTD, whereas visits to the coastal and southern
areas are on the decline.
Prior to the pandemic, the northern area
typically hosted the largest number of tourists during Namibia's peak tourist
season (May to August).
Foreign and regional arrivals at all
airports in Namibia dipped slightly in May 2022 by 10,3% m/m and 9,1% m/m
respectively. Total foreign arrivals were 11 732 in May 2022, compared to 13
047 in April 2022.
"On an annual basis, foreign and
regional arrivals increased by 129,0% y/y (year-on-year) and 80,5% y/y
respectively. YTD, Namibia received a total of 43 012 foreign arrivals at all
its airports, compared to 18 360 during the same period last year. This
represents a significant recovery in tourist flows and could be the result of
aggressive marketing by various stakeholders in attracting foreigners to
Namibia, declining Covid cases globally and new airline routes to Namibia being
offered."
Regional arrivals typically exceed foreign
arrivals in the first months of each year, however, foreign arrivals have been
lower than regional arrivals since January 2021. This potentially indicates
that overseas travellers are more cautious in choosing their holiday
destinations or face more stringent travel limitations compared to regional
tourists.
Paetzold said: "Namibia is rated as a
country with one of the highest quality medical services in southern Africa -
apart from South Africa, and for the past few years we have already seen a very
sizeable number of regional nationals, especially Angolan, travel to Namibia
for medical reasons, be it dentistry, optometry, surgery and other medical
treatment".