Tourism in Namibia
By now you would know that tourism in Namibia is one of the key markets the country relies on. Well this is based purely on its harsh landscape and the amount of things that are able to be done when you visit this stunning country. In fact there are so many things you can do we can't possibly list them all on one website!
What is amazing to know is that Namibia averages around 1 million tourists a year which is roughly half of their entire population. A staggering fact if you were to consider the amount of people that would go to a country such as the United States if half their population in tourists came every year! Namibia is constantly voted amongst the easiest countries to visit by publications such as Lonely Planet and the tourism industry is estimated to bring in a whopping $7.2 billion to the economy of Namibia every year.
A large number of these tourists come into the country directly from South Africa as it border the country and offers a wide diversity of landscapes and tourist features that the Rainbow Nation can't. It also brings in numerous tourists from Germany who travel to Namibia given its history with its country as well as the fact that a large proportion of the country still speaks in German as their native tongue. The staggering numbers too that tourists have increased in over the last 20 years should also be looked at.
In 1989 it was estimated that 100,000 people visited the country for tourism purposes, with this number being 1 million in 2006. That is a growth of 10 times as many tourists in less than 20 years. Employment in Namibia based on tourism is also significantly high, with a large proportion of the countries jobs relating to the tourism industry. Whatever your thoughts may be on Namibia there is no doubting the extent of how well the country does when it comes to tourists and attracting them to its borders.