Tourism in Namibia takes off again

NEARLY two per cent more passengers from the region arrived in Namibia through Hosea Kutako International Airport last year than in 2009, but international arrivals dropped by 2,5 per cent.

The 2010 regional statistics show an increase of 9,7 per cent compared to 2005, Old Mutual Namibia economist Robin Sherbourne said yesterday, adding that the figures are a useful measure of tourism and general economic activity in the country. International arrivals at the airport were 22,3 per cent up on those of 2005.According to the latest figures released by the Bank of Namibia (BoN), tourism boomed during the third quarter of last year with room occupancy and beds sold increasing by 57,8 per cent and 54,9 per cent respectively. “This represented a recovery from low activities during the second quarter due to the closure of European airspace in April as a result of a volcanic eruption in Iceland, which led to cancellations of several accommodation establishments and flights. Furthermore, the 2010 Fifa World Cup crowding-out effects which resulted in slowed activities in travel and hospitality businesses during June and July, diminished after the end of this World Cup,” the central bank said its Quarterly Bulletin released in December.The BoN said various campaigns by Namibia Tourism Board (NTB) to promote local tourism could have also contributed to the improved performance of the hospitality sector. Compared to the third quarter of 2009, room occupancy rose by 16,5 per cent and beds sold by 9,1 per cent.The number of passengers arriving by air improved substantially by 25,8 per cent during the third quarter of 2010 compared to the preceding quarter, the BoN said. “Both international and regional passenger arrivals improved significantly in the third quarter, suggesting a rebound in the tourism sector. It is also worth mentioning that the third quarter is usually a high season for tourism activities. On a yearly basis, passengers arriving by air, via international and regional routes also rose by 0,2 per cent and 1,6 per cent respectively during the period under review.”BoN statistics show that the number of passengers departing by air also recovered by 14,7 per cent during the third quarter compared to the second quarter. “This increase was reflected both in the passengers departing via regional and international routes which rose by 20,1 per cent and 5,7 per cent respectively.”On a yearly basis, the volume of passenger departures dropped by 3,5 per cent in both categories.