It is clear from the first-half figures (January to June) of 2022 that tourism is bouncing back and that the outlook is positive.

Domestic tourism this year to date has exceeded pre-pandemic levels but inbound figures still have a way to go before pre-pandemic levels are reached.

This was highlighted yesterday (September 1) during a press briefing held by Minister of Tourism, Lindiwe Sisulu, at South African Tourism’s offices in Johannesburg, to share the figures from the H1 Tourism Performance Report.

The total international arrivals figures for the first half of the year grew by 147% (tourists who all originated from outside SA’s borders). 

Domestic trips 

A total of 15.2 million domestic trips were undertaken during this period. Sisulu, who described this as a “major win for the tourism sector” ascribed this massive escalation to the “revenge travel trend” as well as to the fact that COVID-19 regulations had eased. 

She said the most “heart-warming” aspect of the numbers was that the share of domestic holiday trips had increased by 23.8% compared with the same period in 2021, and the average spend had skyrocketed by 28.6% over 2021 figures. 

Acting CEO of SA Tourism, Themba Khumalo, pointed out that the pricing structures, particularly for the mid-sector of the market, had been adjusted amid the pandemic, making it more affordable for domestic travellers to explore their own country.

With Travel Week coming up – what Khumalo referred to as “Black Friday for Travel” – where from September 4 to 10, domestic travellers can access a variety of special deals for travel, Khumalo believes domestic travel will increase even further.

The upcoming festive season would bear further fruit, he said.

International numbers

Sisulu highlighted that overseas visitor numbers were still 54% below 2019 figures (a total of 497 000 arrivals, in H1 2022 compared with 1.1million in H1 2019).

There was, however, significant growth over H1 2021, with arrivals from the Americas growing by 331% to a total of 128 991 visitors. 

Europe remained South Africa’s key overseas market – despite external shocks such as the war in Ukraine – recording a 563% increase over the same period in 2021, with 356 352 visitors to SA’s shores. Of the European arrivals, the United Kingdom and Germany were the top source markets respectively. 

Asia and Pacific is still the worst performing region due to border closures and strict travel policies.

The African region performed well at 50% below 2019 levels, with the African air market bringing over 80 000 arrivals. Sisulu highlighted that the African air market visitors were mainly ‘bleisure’ travellers.

The biggest market was the African land market, which saw a 109% increase in arrivals (over 1.6 million tourists) when compared with the same period in 2021. These numbers were mainly from Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Lesotho.

Forward bookings

The projected outlook for H2 is strong for the inbound market, with August recording a 328% increase in forward bookings (over 2021) to a total of 85 960.

In the period August to October there was a 287% increase in bookings to a total of 187 667, and for the period August to January 2023 there was a 227% increase to a total of 294 220 bookings. 

“This shows that global tourism resilience is on the increase as booking lead times are growing longer again,” Sisulu pointed out.

The tourism performance report highlighted that for the period August to January 2023, the United Kingdom had recorded the most forward bookings, with a 331.2% increase over the same period last year. The US was in second place with a 76.8% increase and Germany was in third place with 196% increase. In fourth place was the Netherlands with a 193% increase in forward bookings. 

“We will continue to intensify targeted communication on our digital platforms to sell South Africa as a destination of choice, inviting the world to come and ‘live again’ with us,” said Sisulu, referencing the global advocacy marketing campaign, which invites visitors to come and ‘Live Again’ in South Africa.