Namibia has taken a fascinating stance on foreign relations with the announcement that it is looking to introduce visa-related hurdles for countries that don’t have favourable terms for its people. On May 24th, 2024, The Namibian Ministry of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety and Security announced that Cabinet had approved an entry visa for the following countries.
Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Moldova, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States and Uzbekistan.
On the one hand, this is progressive and advocates for equality when it comes to the treatment of Namibian nationals who, for one reason or another, want to explore or seek opportunities in another country. Namibia has a relatively small population of 2.6 million and will not suddenly have a prolific diaspora in other countries overnight. Additionally, Namibia’s economy is relatively stable, what with it being part of the Common Monetary Area that includes South Africa, Lesotho, and Swaziland. However, on the other hand, Namibia has very little leverage on the global stage and this policy has raised concern among some who may see it as putting the industry in peril.
“We believe when this comes into effect, the impact on tourism would be minimal. We also believe that tourists would be able to acquire visas upon arrival, which offers flexibility to our tourists,”
Romeo Muyunda, Spokesperson for The Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism (via The Namibian)
Whether those concerns are founded or not is yet to be known. The Namibian Ministry of Tourism has made it clear that it will be an entry visa at worst… Some of the countries singled out are among those who invest a considerable amount of money into the Namibian Tourism Industry.
State of Namibian entry requirements across the globe
What is interesting about this story and what has been truly understated, is the size of Namibian Tourism in numbers.
Nambia as a tourist destination
According to the Nambia Tourism Satellite Account, a report done by The Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism in conjunction with the Namibia Statistics Agency, the southern African country had 527,610 tourists in 2022.
Of that number 57.2% of them were from Europe, 35.1% were from the continent, 5.1% came in from the Americas and 1.3 were Australian tourists.
Those tourists are supported by industries that employ 57,517 people which represents 7.9% of employed persons in the country.
| All Tourism Related Industries | % Total Contribution to total Employment | % Direct contribution to total employment | |
| Total | 104,522 | 14.4 | 7.9 |
| Accommodation services for visitors | 62,614 | 9.6 | 3.9 |
| Food- and beverage-serving industry | 20,422 | 2.8 | 2.4 |
| Passanger transport | 14,528 | 2.0 | 1.2 |
| Transport rental equipment | 1,341 | 0.2 | 0.1 |
| Travel Agents and other reservation industry | 687 | 0.1 | 0.0 |
| Cultural industry | 1,964 | 0.3 | 0.0 |
| Sports and recreational industries | 2,946 | 0.4 | 0.3 |
“The tourism sector in Namibia has enjoyed steady growth since the country’s independence and has been regarded as the third largest contributor to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).The Government of the Republic of Namibia affirms the importance of tourism, and it is set as a priority sector in national documents such as Vision 2030, the National Development Plans and the Harambee Prosperity Plans”
Hon. Pohamba Shifeta (MP) Minister of Environment, Forestry and Tourism (Nambia Tourism Satellite Account)
The dollar value of the countries listed
Not all the countries on the list were recorded in the Nambia Tourism Satellite Account Report from 2022. However, those that were registered in the study contributed more than 60% of tourists coming into the country.
| COUNTRY OF RESIDENCE | Business | Holiday/Leisur e/Recreation | Visiting friends and relatives | Transit | Others | Total |
| AFRICA | 22,632 | 113,160 | 34,891 | 2,358 | 12,259 | 185,300 |
| Angola | 3,772 | 16,974 | 6,130 | – | 8,487 | 35,363 |
| Botswana | 943 | 7,544 | 4,715 | 472 | 943 | 14,617 |
| Kenya | 472 | 1,415 | – | – | – | 1,886 |
| South Africa | 10,845 | 78,741 | 21,218 | 1,415 | 943 | 113,160 |
| Zambia | 1,415 | 1,415 | 1,415 | 472 | 1,415 | 6,130 |
| Zimbabwe | 943 | 2,829 | 1,415 | – | 472 | 5,658 |
| Other Africa | 4,244 | 4,244 | – | – | – | 8,487 |
| EUROPE | 8,016 | 276,771 | 10,845 | 4,715 | 1,415 | 301,761 |
| Austria | 472 | 9,430 | 472 | – | – | 10,373 |
| Belgium | 2,829 | 16,974 | 943 | – | – | 20,746 |
| Denmark | – | 2,358 | – | – | – | 2,358 |
| Finland | 472 | 943 | – | 472 | – | 1,886 |
| France | 943 | 37,720 | 472 | – | – | 39,135 |
| Germany | 472 | 111,274 | 4,244 | 2,829 | 943 | 119,761 |
| Iceland | 472 | 1,415 | – | – | – | 1,886 |
| Italy | – | 6,601 | 943 | – | – | 7,544 |
| Netherlands | – | 19,332 | 943 | – | – | 20,275 |
| Portugal | – | 1,886 | – | – | – | 1,886 |
| Spain | – | 5,187 | – | – | 472 | 5,658 |
| Switzerland | – | 24,047 | 943 | – | – | 24,990 |
| Ukraine | 472 | 943 | – | – | – | 1,415 |
| United Kingdom | 1,886 | 28,290 | 1,415 | 943 | – | 32,534 |
| Other Europe | – | 10,373 | 472 | 472 | – | 11,316 |
| AMERICA | 2,829 | 21,689 | 1,886 | – | 472 | 26,876 |
| Brazil | – | 3,301 | – | – | – | 3,301 |
| Canada | – | 3,301 | 472 | – | 472 | 4,244 |
| United States | 943 | 13,674 | 1,415 | – | – | 16,031 |
| Other Americas | 1,886 | 1,415 | – | – | – | 3,301 |
| ASIA | 1,415 | 5,187 | – | – | 472 | 7,073 |
| China | 943 | 472 | – | – | 472 | 1,886 |
| India | – | 472 | – | – | – | 472 |
| Russian Federation | – | 1,415 | – | – | – | 1,415 |
| Other Asia | 472 | 2,829 | – | – | – | 3,301 |
| Australia | 1,886 | 4,244 | – | – | 472 | 6,601 |
| TOTAL | 36,777 | 421,051 | 47,622 | 7,073 | 15,088 | 527,610 |
| Share by purpose of visits | 7.0 | 79.8 | 9.0 | 1.3 | 2.9 |
Visiting the country is one thing, but the dollar value spent on the tourism industry is where the real story is told. According to the Namibia Tourist Satellite Account Report, tourism brought in N$14.3 Billion (over US$751 million) in 2022 and the countries European and North American tourists were the biggest spenders.
| Country of Residence | Total Arrivals | Average Night Spent | Average Expenditure Per Day | Total Expenditure in Namibia | Total Arrivals | Average Night Spent | Total Nights Spent | Average Expenditure Per Day | Total Expenditure in Namibia |
| Austria | 1 | 33 | 2,398 | 79,149 | 20 | 12 | 244 | 1,269 | 309,693 |
| Belgium | 6 | 26 | 1,115 | 172,779 | 36 | 22 | 805 | 1,277 | 1,028,097 |
| Denmark | – | – | – | – | 5 | 13 | 66 | 1,841 | 121,538 |
| Finland | 1 | 2 | 3,002 | 6,004 | 2 | 11 | 21 | 1,793 | 37,652 |
| France | 2 | 30 | 690 | 40,713 | 80 | 36 | 2,898 | 541 | 1,568,661 |
| Germany | 1 | 29 | 57 | 1,667 | 236 | 19 | 4,552 | 1,213 | 5,520,254 |
| Iceland | 1 | 37 | 1,233 | 45,614 | 3 | 27 | 80 | 1,563 | 125,033 |
| Italy | – | – | – | – | 14 | 14 | 198 | 5,151 | 1,019,930 |
| Netherlands | – | – | – | – | 41 | 34 | 1,382 | 941 | 1,300,801 |
| Portugal | – | – | – | – | 4 | 13 | 52 | 4,082 | 212,262 |
| Spain | – | – | – | – | 11 | 12 | 129 | 2,350 | 303,095 |
| Switzerland | – | – | – | – | 51 | 22 | 1,107 | 539 | 597,058 |
| Ukraine | 1 | 9 | 1,014 | 9,130 | 2 | 13 | 25 | 7,349 | 183,737 |
| United Kingdom | 4 | 12 | 1,096 | 52,584 | 60 | 13 | 757 | 2,197 | 1,663,448 |
| Other Europe | – | – | – | – | 22 | 37 | 807 | 1,711 | 1,380,595 |
| Canada | – | – | – | – | 7 | 13 | 91 | 969 | 88,145 |
| United States | 2 | 18 | 427 | 15,385 | 29 | 14 | 398 | 797 | 317,119 |
| China | 2 | 8 | 2,907 | 46,509 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 11,225 | 33,675 |
| Total: | 21 | 204 | 13,939 | 469,534 | 624 | 328 | 13615 | 46,808 | 15,810,793 |
Will the friction slow down tourist inflows for Namibia?
It’s hard to tell until the numbers are out for the period that the policy takes effect. However, it doesn’t seem like the Namibian government will jeopardise an industry that is contributing 6.9% to the country’s GDP.
Furthermore, it is unclear if the visa on entry will have the desired effect of parity between Namibia and the targetted states. The leveraging inconvenience to countries that their thumbs on the scale in other respects might not have the desired outcome, but that too is something we won’t know until events play out.
