About 98 000 more tourists visited Namibia between 2012 and 2013 which represents an increase of 9% from 1 078 937 to 1 176 042.
Arrivals hit a million for the first time in 2011 when 1 027 229 tourists visited the country compared to 984 099 in 2010. The figures are part of the Ministry of Environment and Tourism (MET) 2012/2013 Tourist Statistics Report launched this week. The tourist figures also indicates that the overall tourist market for Namibia were led by Angola, South Africa, Germany, United States and Portugal during the years under review.
Environment and Tourism Minister, Uahekua Herunga said, “the Namibian tourism sector performances, especially inbound demands, remain remarkably strong despite persisting global economic crisis.” He elaborated that tourism has been highlighted as one of the key economic sectors earmarked for growth in the fourth National Development Plan.
It was also established that the most popular reason for tourists travelling to Namibia was either to visit friends or relatives, or simply just to enjoy their holiday. The overall length of stay for various visiting tourists has also increased from 2012.
The MET has noted with great concern that implications such as the rise in poaching incidents, crime, international pandemic outbreaks and other internal and external eventualities threaten the potential growth of tourism and development.
“From the government’s perspective, we fully recognise the importance of tourism as one of the pillars of our economy. The government will continue to make an effort to create a conducive environment to enable all the stakeholders to grow from strength to strength,” Herunga said.
Arrivals hit a million for the first time in 2011 when 1 027 229 tourists visited the country compared to 984 099 in 2010. The figures are part of the Ministry of Environment and Tourism (MET) 2012/2013 Tourist Statistics Report launched this week. The tourist figures also indicates that the overall tourist market for Namibia were led by Angola, South Africa, Germany, United States and Portugal during the years under review.
Environment and Tourism Minister, Uahekua Herunga said, “the Namibian tourism sector performances, especially inbound demands, remain remarkably strong despite persisting global economic crisis.” He elaborated that tourism has been highlighted as one of the key economic sectors earmarked for growth in the fourth National Development Plan.
It was also established that the most popular reason for tourists travelling to Namibia was either to visit friends or relatives, or simply just to enjoy their holiday. The overall length of stay for various visiting tourists has also increased from 2012.
The MET has noted with great concern that implications such as the rise in poaching incidents, crime, international pandemic outbreaks and other internal and external eventualities threaten the potential growth of tourism and development.
“From the government’s perspective, we fully recognise the importance of tourism as one of the pillars of our economy. The government will continue to make an effort to create a conducive environment to enable all the stakeholders to grow from strength to strength,” Herunga said.
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