Based on the latest data from Stats SA, South Africa experienced a significant tourism rebound, with 7.6 million travellers visiting the country from January to November last year, an increase of 51.8% compared with the same period in 2022.
African tourists led the way with 5.7 million arrivals, marking a growth of 53.4% compared with 2022.
Within the African region, the highest number of arrivals came from:
- Zimbabwe (1.8 million)
- Mozambique (1.2 million)
- Lesotho (1 million)
The arrival of tourists from other regions was led by 1.1 million from Europe, 370 514 from North America, 40 740 from Central and South America, 94 806 from Australasia, 51 779 from the Middle East, and 182 497 from Asia.
Top source markets
Among the top ten international tourism source countries, the UK leads the ranking with 32 561 visitors (16.7%), followed by Germany, the US, The Netherlands, France, India, Australia, Switzerland, Canada, and Belgium.
These countries were responsible for 73.8% of total foreign tourists and all reported an increase in the number of visits compared with November 2022. France showed the highest year-on-year growth (41.4%).
Zimbabwe (170 082), Mozambique (119 328), and Lesotho (83 982) led the Southern African Development Community contribution, accounting for a solid 71.8%.
Furthermore, tourists from other African countries outside the SADC totalled 14 647, equivalent to 2.0%. Among them, Kenya (4 396), Ghana (2 987), and Nigeria (1 679) stood out, contributing to 61.9% of this group. It is worth mentioning that 1 159 tourists (0.2%) did not specify their country of residence.
Travel purposes
The demographic profile of foreign tourists highlights a significant distribution by ages and regions. Those aged 25 to 34 represent a considerable proportion, evidencing the generational diversity of travellers.
In the age analysis, demographic diversity among tourists is evident: 25 614 (3.7%) were under 15 years old; 50 749 (7.4%) were between 15 and 24 years old; 171 220 (25%) ranged from 25 to 34 years old; 204 800 (29.9%) were in the range of 35 to 44 years old; 121 635 (17.8%) were between 45 and 54 years old; 67 054 (9.8%) belonged to the 55 to 64 years old range, and 43 088 (6.3%) were 65 years or older.
Regarding travel purposes, most African tourists, specifically 505 558 (96.4%), chose South Africa for vacationing. However, notable differences emerge between SADC tourists and those from ‘other’ African countries in terms of their specific objectives.
96.5% of SADC tourists entered the country for vacation purposes, compared with 89.4% from ‘other’ African countries. Specifically, 92.3% of tourists from East and Central Africa opted for vacations, followed by those from West Africa with 87.2%, and North Africa with 76.8%. In terms of business purposes, they represented 3.1% of SADC tourists, compared with 5.9% from ‘other’ African countries.
In the educational field, students constituted 0.4% of SADC tourists, compared with 4.3% from ‘other’ African countries. North Africa stood out, with the highest proportion of tourists for study purposes, reaching 12.5%, followed by West Africa with 6.1%, and East and Central Africa with 2.2%.
Information sources: Department of Tourism, QuotesAdvisor.com, Statistics South Africa (Stats SA).
