The waiving of visa requirements from some African countries has helped South Africa’s tourism sector to continue on a positive trajectory as the latest international arrival figures pointed to robust growth in the three months to March.
According to Statistics South Africa, international tourist arrivals from January to March 2024 totalled 2.4 million, representing a remarkable 15.4% increase when compared with the same period in 2023.
Data pointed out that South Africa welcomed 1.8 million tourist arrivals from the rest of the African continent during the period, marking a significant 74.5% of all arrivals.
Zimbabwe and Ghana stood out for their remarkable growth, with Zimbabwe experiencing a 21.8% increase in tourist arrivals to South Africa when compared with the first three months of 2023, totalling 613 675 arrivals.
Ghana recorded a 249.4% increase when compared with the same period in 2023, reaching 7 904 arrivals for January to March.
Minister of Tourism Patricia de Lille expressed further appreciation for the continued remarkable growth in arrival numbers from the African continent, especially Ghana.
“Ghana’s immense performance can be attributed to the fact that South Africa and Ghana announced a visa waiver scheme on 1 November 2023,” De Lille said.
“The visa waiver allows for travel for periods of up to 90 days within a calendar year, for purposes of business or tourism. This coupled with targeted integrated marketing initiatives executed by South African Tourism to attract visitors from this market makes for a winning formula for the growth of our sector.”
Travellers from other parts of the world also continued to show their appreciation and love for South Africa.
Data also showed strong momentum from North and South America, as tourist arrivals from the Americas registered at 118 194 during the period, reflecting a 12.4% growth compared with the same period in 2023.
There was also a strength in European markets with 420 727 tourist arrivals from Europe, a 8.6% increase compared with the same period in 2023.
The UK remained the top European source market, with 125 420 tourists choosing South Africa, marking a 5.3% growth compared with 2023.
Germany experienced a 9.9% increase in arrivals compared with the same period in 2023, amounting to 98 954 tourists.
This was followed by the Netherlands, which saw an increase of 9.9% when compared with 2023, amounting to 37 548 tourist arrivals between January and March 2024.
Russia exhibited a dramatic growth of 9.6% when compared with 2023, contributing 9 329 arrivals in 2024.
Asian markets also showed significant growth with a total 49 741 arrivals from the region, representing an astounding 25.4% when compared with the same period in 2023.
Notably, South Africa received 11 017 visitors from China registering, a massive 82% increase in the first three months of 2024 when compared with the same period in 2023.
However, at least 16 209 tourists came from India, 0.9% lower compared with 2023.
South Africa also received 2 387 arrivals from Saudi Arabia in the quarter to March, marking an increase of 31.7% when compared with last year.
The United Arab Emirates saw 321 arrivals to South Africa in January to March 2024.
“The tourism sector is a significant contributor to the economy and job creation,” De Lille said.
“We are determined to continue with this momentum. South Africa remains attractive and accessible for all travellers to enjoy.”
BUSINESS REPORT