Windhoek

Windhoek, Namibia, scores 57 on the CIRA Index of tourism resilience, #184 of 309 destinations. 26 of 29 measures come from public sources, with 68% confidence. Every grade below states its value, period and source.

Scores by each organisation's criteria

• CIRA Index: 57
• OECD: 52
• UN Tourism: 51
• UNDRR: 57

Strongest

• Municipal waste per resident: 170.4 kg per resident per year (The Brief / City of Windhoek, 2024). At or below 350: grade 4/4.
• Average length of stay: 14 nights per visitor (country figure) (Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism (MEFT), Namibia Tourist Statistical Report, 2024). At or above 3.5: grade 4/4.
• Jobs in tourism industries: 5.4 % of employment in accommodation and food services (country figure) (World Economic Forum, TTDI 2026 (data: Travel & Tourism Economic Impact Research by World Travel & Tourism Council; Travel & Tourism by World Travel & Tourism Council), 2026). At or below 8: grade 4/4.

Weakest

• Income per head: 11,986 GDP per capita, USD PPP (country figure) (World Bank WDI, 2025). Below 15,000: grade 0/4.
• Recovery against 2019: 78.8 % of 2019 visitor nights reached in the latest full year (country figure) (Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism (MEFT), Tourist Statistical Report 2024, 2024). Below 80: grade 0/4.
• Unemployment rate: 34.4 % of the labour force (region figure) (Namibia Statistics Agency, 2023 Population and Housing Census Labour Force Report, 2023). Above 18: grade 0/4.

Namibia in the World Economic Forum Travel & Tourism Development Index

Namibia is #90 of 110 countries (3.5 of 7) in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026, which scores countries, not cities. Cities in countries with that WEF score average 53 on the CIRA Index; Windhoek is 4 above that.

Every measure, by theme

Demand and seasonality: 38

• Nights in the three busiest months: 37.2 % of annual nights (country figure) (World Economic Forum, TTDI 2026 (data: UN Tourism by United Nations World Tourism Organization), 2022, 2023 moving average). Between 35 and 40: grade 2/4. Source
• Domestic share of nights: 19.2 % of nights by residents of the same country (country figure) (Hospitality Association of Namibia (HAN) / High Economic Intelligence (HEI), 2024). Between 15 and 25: grade 1/4. Source
• Largest foreign market: 38.5 % of international arrivals or nights (country figure) (Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism, Tourist Statistical Report 2024, 2024). Between 30 and 40: grade 1/4. Source
• Recovery against 2019: 78.8 % of 2019 visitor nights reached in the latest full year (country figure) (Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism (MEFT), Tourist Statistical Report 2024, 2024). Below 80: grade 0/4. Source
• Average length of stay: 14 nights per visitor (country figure) (Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism (MEFT), Namibia Tourist Statistical Report, 2024). At or above 3.5: grade 4/4. Source
• Hotel bed or room occupancy: 54.5 % average annual occupancy (country figure) (Hospitality Association of Namibia (HAN) / HEI Research, 2024). Between 45 and 55: grade 1/4. Source

Economy and jobs: 50

• Jobs in tourism industries: 5.4 % of employment in accommodation and food services (country figure) (World Economic Forum, TTDI 2026 (data: Travel & Tourism Economic Impact Research by World Travel & Tourism Council; Travel & Tourism by World Travel & Tourism Council), 2026). At or below 8: grade 4/4. Source
• Unemployment rate: 34.4 % of the labour force (region figure) (Namibia Statistics Agency, 2023 Population and Housing Census Labour Force Report, 2023). Above 18: grade 0/4. Source
• Income per head: 11,986 GDP per capita, USD PPP (country figure) (World Bank WDI, 2025). Below 15,000: grade 0/4. Source
• Economic diversity: 81.3 % of employment outside accommodation, food, retail and transport (country figure) (Namibia Statistics Agency, 2023 Namibia Population and Housing Census: Release of Labour Force Statistics, 2023). At or above 80: grade 4/4. Source

Climate and hazards: 60

• Extreme heat days: 5.4 days a year at or above 35°C (last 5 full years) (ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, 2021–2025). Between 5 and 15: grade 3/4. Source
• Tropical nights: 10.2 nights a year with a minimum at or above 20°C (last 5 full years) (ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, 2021–2025). Between 10 and 30: grade 3/4. Source
• Flood hazard: low (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 3/4. Source
• Wildfire and storm hazard: high (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 1/4. Source
• Country disaster risk: 4.2 INFORM Risk index, 0–10 (country figure) (INFORM Risk (European Commission JRC), INFORM Risk Mid 2026, 2026). Between 3.5 and 5: grade 2/4. Source

Water and environment: 50

• Water scarcity: high (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 1/4. Source
• Wastewater safely treated: 52.4 % of domestic wastewater safely treated (country figure) (WHO / UN-Habitat via UN SDG Country Profiles, 2024). Between 50 and 70: grade 1/4. Source
• Municipal waste per resident: 170.4 kg per resident per year (The Brief / City of Windhoek, 2024). At or below 350: grade 4/4. Source
• Green space: not measured yet

Community and housing: 63

• Tourism intensity: not measured yet
• Cruise pressure: not measured yet
• Rent growth: 9.7 % change in rents over the last 12 months (country figure) (FNB Namibia, Residential Rental Price Index Q1-2024, Q1 2024). Between 6 and 10: grade 2/4. Source
• Short-let density: 0.6 short-term rental listings per 100 dwellings (AirDNA & Namibia Statistics Agency (2023 Population and Housing Census), 2024-2026). Between 0.5 and 1: grade 3/4. Source
• Resident support for tourism: not measured yet

Access and continuity: 63

• Access redundancy: 2 independent ways in: international airport, intercity rail, port, motorway (Namibia Roads Authority / Sungate / NAC, 2025). Between 2 and 3: grade 2/4. Source
• Air traffic recovery: not measured yet
• Rail share of intercity access: not measured yet
• Rail traffic recovery: not measured yet
• Largest airline group share: not measured yet
• Air route concentration: not measured yet
• Early warning and emergency plan: An updated city plan with public early warning for heat, flood or fire (City of Windhoek / Windhoek Express, 2024). Grade 3/4. Source
• Tourism crisis and recovery plan: A plan with named owners, operators and recovery funding (Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism (MEFT), 2022-2024). Grade 3/4. Source
• Government effectiveness: 49.1 World Bank WGI percentile rank, 0–100 (country figure) (World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025). Between 40 and 60: grade 2/4. Source
• Travel advisory: 2 stricter of the US and Canadian government advisory for the country, 1 (normal precautions) to 4 (do not travel) (country figure) (US State Department and Government of Canada travel advisories, 2026-09-29). Between 1 and 2: grade 3/4. Source
• Dedicated tourism funding: A dedicated source such as a tourist tax or levy (Namibia Tourism Board, 2024). Grade 2/4. Source

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