The Namibian government’s rapid-fire decision to revoke visa-free entry for 31 countries risks undoing the progress made in the country’s tourism recovery, with the impacts expected to be most deeply felt in the price-sensitive European markets which keep the sector afloat.

On May 24, The Ministry of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety and Security (MHAISS) announced that Namibia’s Cabinet had authorised the removal of the countries – including the majority of Namibia’s top overseas tourism source markets – from the visa-exempt list, citing a lack of reciprocity. Although the implementation date has not been set, nationals from the affected countries will be issued visas on arrival, subject to an applicable fee and an online visa application, according to the MHAISS’s statement.

Gitta Paetzold, CEO of the Hospitality Association of Namibia (HAN), told Tourism Update that the decision flies in the face of significant strides made by the private sector and government to present Namibia as open, easily-accessible and welcoming to travellers and investors.

“For a number of years now, the Namibian tourism private sector and the MHAISS have collaborated in a concerted program to enhance Namibia’s attractiveness to both tourists and potential investors, easing Namibia's visa regime, introducing visas on arrival for some countries and adding to the list of visa-exempt countries,” said Paetzold.

Under former President Hage Geingob, who died in February this year while still in office, the country initiated several progressive measures to boost visitor numbers, including the introduction of a remote work visa and the expansion of visas-on-arrival at border posts.  

Paetzold said that Namibia’s bounceback to pre-COVID arrival levels could largely be attributed to this open approach.   

“The new requirement for visitors from almost all our main source markets to obtain visas sends an unfortunate message to those markets suggesting that Namibia is not as welcoming to visitors as we have been indicating,” Paetzold added.

Concerns over European markets

The strong presence of European markets (upon which Namibia’s tourism economy is deeply reliant) on the list of affected countries, is of particular concern. The German-speaking countries of Austria, Germany and Switzerland accounted for 38% of occupancies in April 2024, according to the latest HAN statistics, while other European arrivals made up 22% of all stays.

“We are concerned that this (visa) requirement, and the cost of the proposed visas, could lead to a reduction in the number of mid-range tourists, especially from our key markets in Europe who are often more price sensitive than others, especially when traveling in the family groups we have been trying to encourage,” said Paetzold.

It is anticipated that nationals from the affected countries will need to pay the general visa-on-arrival fee of N$1 200 (US$65). 

Paetzold stressed that while industry understood the government’s intent to be an equal partner on the global stage, the context of the country’s economic landscape needed to be taken into account.

“From a purely Namibian and human perspective, there may be good reasoning, as Namibia is keen to be recognised as an equal partner in global travel and trade. But at the same time we have to admit, that the reason for traveling, and the importance that the tourism sector holds in the respective economies are vastly different, making it almost impossible to demand equal practices for different purposes.”

Losing ground on competitors

With other African countries such as Kenya, Rwanda, Mozambique and Malawi prioritising the liberalisation of their visa regimes, Paetzold voiced concern about the impact on Namibia’s competitiveness and on emerging tourism enterprises.

“Most global tourism, like water, flows to where it meets the least resistance. We are afraid that a noticeable amount of our low to middle-market tourism business, increasingly serviced by emerging and start-up companies, could now potentially be lost to countries with similar offerings, like South Africa – or to other SADC countries – as well as countries like Kenya.”

Minimising the impact

Paetzold said that Namibia's organised tourism sector had taken up discussions with relevant authorities in the hope of influencing the implementation to minimise the potential negative impacts of the new visa.

“Tourism in Namibia plays a key role in not only economic development and foreign exchange earnings, but is also a key employer, especially in the rural areas. We are thus keen to uphold the image as an open, easily accessible country to be able to grow tourism numbers,” she concluded.

According to Namibia’s Tourism Satellite Account, the sector contributed 6.9% to the country’s GDP and accounted for 7.9% of total employment in 2022.