WINDHOEK: Minister of Environment, Forestry, and Tourism, Pohamba Shifeta has expressed delight at the increase in the number of travelers that visited Namibia in the past year.

Launching Namibia’s Tourism Statistics Report for 2023 on Monday in the capital, Shifeta noted that the industry has made an impressive recovery following the devastating impact of COVID-19.

He reported that Namibia received 863, 872 international tourist arrivals in 2023, compared to 461,027 recorded in 2022.

‘The year 2023 proved to be a good year with regard to the tourist arrivals. It has been a significant recovery after the negative effect of COVID-19 on international tourist arrivals,’ Shifeta said.

He said that the notable increase demonstrates that the demand for Namibia as a tourist destination for visitors is steadily growing. The minister added that last year’s figures represent a 54 per cent recovery level towards tourist arrival numbers of the time before COVID-19.

South Africa remains the biggest tourist source mar
ket for Namibia in Africa. Angola, Zambia, Botswana and Zimbabwe form part of the top African visitors. Abroad, Germany continues to dominate the overseas market, followed by the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and the Netherlands.

Shifeta said that the majority of visitors, or 36.8 per cent of the total inbound tourists, came to Namibia between September and December of 2023. He added that 31.9 per cent arrived between May to August and 31.4 per cent between January to April 2023.

The ministry is implementing the Tourism Sector Recovery Plan that sets out a framework for a strategic approach to tourism policy intervention, according to Shifeta.

‘While we celebrate our successes of 2023, the tourism sector must also acknowledge the challenges we face today. The global economic landscape, climate change, and occasional security concerns continue to impact our tourism industry. However, we are committed to addressing these challenges as Government, of course in partnership with all stakeholders,’
he said.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency