South Africa welcomed 7.2-million tourists between January and October last year, with more than 76% of them coming from Africa.
The number of visitors from the continent increased by 5.7% compared to the same period in 2023. Tourism minister Patricia de Lille said total international arrivals increased by 5% from the 6.8-million recorded during the same period last year.
“The latest stats are on par with the solid recovery in tourism arrivals over the past two years,” De Lille said.
“From January to December 2023, we welcomed nearly 8.5-million tourists from the rest of the world, of which 6.4-million were from Africa. This was a 48.9% increase compared to the same period in 2022.”
De Lille said in recent years the majority of tourists had visited the Western Cape, Mpumalanga, Gauteng, the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal, with the remaining provinces receiving fewer visitors.
“On domestic tourism, 21.5-million trips were taken by South Africans to explore the country between January 2024 and July 2024, demonstrating that domestic tourism is the bedrock of the tourism sector,” De Lille said.
“Tourism brings billions of rands into the economy as last year, in 2023, foreign direct spend from tourism stood at R95m and R121bn from domestic tourism spend.”
De Lille said the trend in previous summer seasons aligned with the patterns now where, according to the latest available statistics, the majority of visitors to South Africa between January and October 2024 were from the African continent, with more than 5.5-million travellers — an increase of 5.7% compared to 2023. She said visitors from the UK and Europe totalled more than 978,000, a slight decline of 0.7% compared to 2023, though the numbers were expected to rise over the summer, as in previous years.
North America contributed more than 354,000 visitors, reflecting a 4.9% increase from 2023, while Central and South America showed a notable surge of 75.1%, with over 61,000 visitors.
De Lille said travellers from China rose by 11.2%, reaching over 35,000, and visitors from India, though down by 4% to over 63,000, were anticipated to increase after the implementation of new visa regulations under the Trusted Tour Operator Scheme from January 25 this year.
She said more than 40,000 visitors arrived from Brazil between January and October 2024, a 126% rise attributed to direct flights launched by LATAM and SAA in late 2023. Ghana recorded more than 29,000 arrivals, up 248% due to visa waivers introduced in late 2023, while Kenya saw over 36,000 arrivals, an increase of 11.8% compared to 2023.
The industry already contributes R27bn annually to the local economy, and our focus remains on ensuring it drives employment and creates opportunities for local businesses
— James Vos, Cape Town MMC for economic growth
De Lille said visitors to the Western and Eastern Cape showed a strong preference for natural attractions and wildlife or safari experiences, while beach activities were most popular in the Western Cape, Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal. Other popular activities included entertainment, dining out, social events, theme parks, nightlife, cultural and historical site visits, and enjoying natural attractions and wildlife.
“We have also been aggressively marketing offerings in our townships, villages and small dorpies,” De Lille said.
“New accommodation and tourism experiences are constantly opening as well as restaurants. These include the Umganu Private Lodge in Mpumalanga, the Nako Safari Lodge in Gauteng and the Future Found Sanctuary in Cape Town.”
De Lille said year-round marketing campaigns, locally and internationally, were aimed at attracting visitors by showcasing the country’s diverse tourism offerings.
Cape Town MMC for economic growth James Vos said the city was experiencing the “busiest tourism season ever, with 226 international flights landing weekly and 88 cruise ships scheduled to dock”.
“This is the result of years of hard work with our partners to position Cape Town as a globally connected destination,” Vos said.
“For me, the priority is implementing conversation-driven campaigns that secure forward bookings, as this is where the magic happens for our tourism businesses. The industry already contributes R27bn annually to the local economy, and our focus remains on ensuring it drives employment and creates opportunities for local businesses.
“Last year our airport processed just over 10m passengers — a record — and I’m hopeful we’ll surpass that this year, with all signs indicating that we’re well on our way.”
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