Namibia improves tourism development - report

Sub-Saharan Africa has shown the biggest improvement in the development of the travel and tourism sector since 2019, while Namibia’s overall performance has also improved significantly.According to the World Economic Forum’s Travel and Tourism Development Index, Namibia now ranks 95th among 119 countries, improving by eight places since 2019, with an overall score of 3.45.Scores are given from one to seven, with one being the worst and seven being the best.The latest edition of the index provides an overview of the current state of the travel and tourism sectors and the various interconnected challenges and opportunities it faces as it moves past the Covid-19 pandemic.Covering 119 economies, the index measures the set of factors and policies that enable the sustainable and resilient development of the travel and tourism sectors, which in turn contribute to the development of a country.“Sub-Saharan Africa has shown the most substantial enhancement in index performance since 2019 (+2.1%), with 16 out of the 19 regional economies covered by the index increasing their index scores," the report states. Better performances The index found that less mature, low- to middle-income economies exhibited the most significant enhancement in performance between 2019 and 2024, accounting for 52 out of 72 economies that improved their index scores.It added that high-income countries generally continue to have more favourable conditions for travel and tourism development.“Sub-Saharan Africa still has the lowest index score of any region, with an average score of 3.33 compared to 4.26 in Europe and Eurasia and 4.11 in the Asia-Pacific region," according to the report. It said that while sub-Saharan Africa remains small by global standards – accounting for just 1.8% of international tourist arrivals, compared to 64.9% for Europe – it had the highest score for the socioeconomic impact by the travel and tourism sectors, with the industry generating, on average, over 21% more jobs for each direct position than the index average, and with an average of over 43% of the sector workforce employed in segments that are considered relatively high wage.South Africa stands out as the highest-ranked country in the region, at 55th place.The report identifies several factors that could contribute further to the region&#039;s potential for travel and tourism development, including price competitiveness and abundant natural resources for tourism.Addressing widespread health, safety and security challenges will also help to encourage investment and make destinations more attractive to foreign visitors, the report says. Aviation challenges It added that progress in terms of unilateral and multilateral agreements that encourage mobility has been made; however, the implementation of policies aimed at greater international openness has been slow, particularly in the liberalisation of air service agreements.Moreover, the report notes that this sluggish progress poses a challenge to the growth of Africa’s underdeveloped aviation sector.The report also emphasises the importance of environmental sustainability to protect valuable natural assets, which are crucial for tourism.

Namibia improves tourism development - report

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Namibian Sun 2025-04-17

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Namibia improves tourism development - report

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Namibian Sun 2025-04-17

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