Visa regime change bites tourism

A drop in the number of German tourist arrivals to Namibia in 2025 could be linked to a new visa policy introduced last April, which ended visa-free travel for European countries.

Hospitality Association of Namibia chief executive Gitta Paetzold told The Namibian yesterday that visa policies, among other issues, could be making the country a less competitive tourism destination.

This comes as a new report released by the Ministry of Environment and Tourism yesterday shows fewer German tourists visited Namibia in 2025 compared to the previous year, amid a general decline in the number of European visitors to the country.