Minister of Tourism, Patricia de Lille, is encouraged by the latest official release of international arrival figures by Statistics South Africa for January to March, saying it points to a robust and growing tourism sector in the country.

International tourist arrivals from January to March totalled 2.4 million, representing a 15.4% increase when compared with the same period in 2023.

Africa leads the way

• South Africa welcomed 1.8 million tourist arrivals from the rest of the African continent between January and March, marking 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, while Ghana recorded a 249.4% increase when compared with the same period in 2023, reaching 7 904 arrivals for January to March.

De Lille expressed further appreciation of the continued remarkable growth in arrival numbers from the African continent, especially Ghana.

She added: “Ghana’s immense performance can be attributed to the fact South Africa and Ghana announced a visa-waiver scheme on November 1, 2023. 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.

Strong momentum from the Americas

• Tourist arrivals from the Americas (North and South America) registered at 118 194 from January to March, reflecting a 12.4% growth compared with the same period in 2023.

Strength in European markets

• From January to March, South Africa saw 420 727 tourist arrivals from Europe, an 8.6% increase compared with the same period in 2023.
• The UK remains the top European source market, with 125 420 tourists choosing South Africa, 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.
• Russia exhibited a growth of 9.6% when compared with 2023, contributing 9 329 arrivals between January and March.

Noteworthy growth from Asian markets

• Asian markets also showed significant growth with a total 49 741 arrivals from the region, representing a 25.4% increase when compared with the same period in 2023.
• South Africa welcomed 16 209 tourists from India, a 0.9% decrease compared with 2023.
• Notably, South Africa received 11 017 visitors from China registering an 82% increase in the first three months of 2024 when compared with the same period in 2023.

Middle East arrivals

• South Africa received 2 387 arrivals from Saudi Arabia in 2024 thus far, marking an increase of 31.7% when compared with 2023.
• The UAE saw 321 arrivals to South Africa between January and March.

“The tourism sector is a significant contributor to the economy and job creation. We are determined to continue with this momentum. South Africa remains attractive and accessible for all travellers to enjoy,” concluded De Lille.