Namibia's hospitality sector has achieved its strongest August in the post-pandemic period, with a national room occupancy rate of 69.53% in August 2026. This represents a 0.48 percentage point increase from the 69.05% recorded in August 2025 and a 2.35 percentage point rise from the pre-pandemic benchmark of 67.18% in August 2019. The data was compiled from 93 reporting properties.
The total number of beds sold in August 2026 stood at 102,749, which is lower than the 126,216 beds sold in August 2025. However, despite the smaller reporting base, occupancy per property increased. National bed occupancy was 59.50%, which is broadly unchanged from the August 2019 level of 59.52%. This suggests that while the overall number of beds sold decreased, the efficiency of occupancy improved.
The Northern Region recorded the highest occupancy rate at 76.28% in August 2026, up from 71.38% in August 2025. This 4.90 percentage point increase can be attributed to peak safari demand and the region's traditional August wedding season. However, this figure remains below the 77.84% recorded in August 2019.
The Coastal Region achieved an occupancy rate of 71.77% in August 2026, surpassing the 70.16% recorded in August 2025 and the 69.91% recorded in August 2019. Notably, this marks the region's strongest August on record. In contrast, the Central Region recorded an occupancy rate of 54.83%, down from 61.20% in August 2025 but slightly above the 54.21% recorded in August 2019.
The data also reveals a significant difference in business and conference travel in the Central Region, accounting for 3.91% of beds sold in August 2026, compared to 34.95% in August 2025. This indicates that the previous year had a substantially larger corporate or government event calendar. In the Southern Region, occupancy stood at 64.31%, down from 69.51% in August 2025 and 9.59 percentage points below the 73.90% recorded in August 2019.
The Southern Region's decline in occupancy is attributed to weaker leisure demand compared to previous peak seasons. Business travel accounted for about 1% of beds sold in both periods in the Southern Region. Two of the four regions recorded year-on-year increases in occupancy in August 2026, with the Northern Region recording the largest increase.
The Hospitality Association of Namibia's data shows that the Coastal Region reached its highest August occupancy on record, while the Central and Southern regions recorded declines. The Central figure was affected by the much stronger business and conference travel recorded in August 2025. Overall, the data suggests a mixed performance across regions, with some areas experiencing growth and others facing declines.
Key points
- Namibia's hospitality sector recorded its strongest August post-pandemic with a national room occupancy of 69.53%.
- The Northern Region recorded the highest occupancy rate at 76.28%, driven by peak safari demand and the traditional August wedding season.
- The Coastal Region achieved its highest August occupancy on record at 71.77%.
