Covid-19 and the Performance of Hotels and Lodges in Windhoek, Namibia

Abstract

This study assessed the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the performance of hotels and lodges in Windhoek, Namibia. The study was motivated by the poor and uninspiring performance of hotels and lodges following the pronouncement of successive COVID-19 induced lockdowns. The study adopted the positivism philosophy and quantitative approach to enable the researcher to make use of scientific evidence, including statistics that show how COVID-19 affected the performance of hotels and lodges. The results revealed that rising new COVID-19 cases and deaths as well as restrictions on domestic, regional and international travel led to cancellation of bookings and low occupancy rates. COVID-19 negatively impacted on average daily rate, revenue per available room and profitability of hotels and lodges. The study recommended that hotels and lodges should institute new business models, advocate for a rescue package and target domestic tourism with limited travel restrictions to improve their performance.

Keywords

• covid-19
• adr
• profitability
• revpar
• occupancy rate