Irene !hoaës
5 December 2008
Windhoek — More South African tourists are likely to visit the country during the festive season, compared to tourists from Europe or any other country.
This is to be the case, if the status quo of the preceding years is maintained. The month of December is mostly frequented by neighbouring South African, Angolan and Batswana tourists, while tourists coming from countries such as Germany are likely to visit Namibia more during March, September, October and November, according to last year's statistics.
People from Botswana come to the coastal regions of the country to enjoy a holiday at sea, a resource that is not found in their country.
Why Namibia is a holiday destination for South Africans during the festive season could be due to tradition, emanating from the two countries' history and close ties. During the festive season, more tourists are likely to visit the coastal regions, due to temperatures that are very high in the country this time of the year, except at the coastal areas that might be cooler.
Focal points for tourism during the festive season are the coastal regions, mostly the west coast, followed by Etosha, Sossusvlei and the Caprivi area.
During the festive season, tourists mostly drive in and do not usually fly into the country.
The marketing representative of Exclusive Renovations, Joryn Niemand, said all its members have more bookings than last year. Member establishments of Exclusive Renovations are mostly situated in the north-western areas and the south of Namibia.
Niemand said more South African tourists are expected, mostly for camping. She also revealed that they have bookings for as far as 2010 from international tourists. Niemand said establishments such as Ombinda, Naua Naua, Waterberg Lodge and Uris have been booked for 2010.
Angola, on the other hand, has high tourist arrivals from most of the SADC countries except South Africa.
Most tourists coming from the southern African region come to visit friends and family rather than coming for holiday.
Most Angolans coming into Namibia come to visit friends and family rather than coming for holidays, but the rest of Africa and South Africa have more holiday tourists than those visiting friends and family.
European tourists come for holidays and very few come to visit relatives and friends.
With the opening of the Mata-Mata border post between Namibia and the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, tourists can travel directly from the park to Namibia and make it easier to combine a visit to the park with a trip to Namibia. To cross the border from the Namibian side, a minimum two-night stay in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park is required.
The Sendelingsdrift border post gives visitors to Namibia direct entry to the Ais-Ais/Richtersveld Transfrontier Park, which can be reached via Port Nolloth and Alexander Bay. A pontoon takes vehicles across the Orange River at the border post.
If current statistics are anything to go by, the arrival of tourists is expected to grow even in the current year.
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