The Namibian government has resolved to impose an entry visa regime on countries that have not reciprocated its visa exemption gestures.
These countries include those not reciprocating Namibia’s visa-on-arrival policy.
Consequent upon the new policy, citizens from over 30 countries will no longer enjoy visa-free access to Namibia if their nations fail to reciprocate visa exemption agreements.
With this development the Namibiantourism industry anticipates a drastic decrease in tourist arrivals.
The proposal, submitted by the Minister of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety and Security has been approved by the Cabinet recently.
According to data from the Namibia Tourism Board and various embassies, this decision could affect around 31 countries.
Namibia currently has visa exemptions for around 55 nations, with only 18 of those replicating the exemptions.
Notably, 18 countries such as Angola, Botswana, South Africa, Zimbabwe, and others will remain unaffected by the changes, as they have reciprocal visa arrangements with Namibia.
However, 31 countries could be impacted by the new visa requirements.
These include nations such as Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Canada, 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 of America and Uzbekistan, could also be affected.
The decision aims to foster equal treatment among nations regarding visa regulations.
According to the Tourism Satellite Account (TSA), a report launched in March, tourism directly contributed 6,9% to Namibia’s gross domestic product (GDP) in 2022, equating to N$14,3 billion.
The report says the sector is a significant employment powerhouse, generating 57 571 direct jobs in 2022, which translates to 7,9% of total employment.
