South Africa’s tourism industry has been buoyed by the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) nations. This is according to an economic assessment by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Strategy&, released on July 24. The report comes as South Africa is preparing to host the tenth annual BRICS summit this week.

According to PwC Strategy& economist, Christie Viljoen: “South Africa is a much-desired destination among the BRIC nations.” Viljoen adds that tourism in South Africa supports 1.6 million jobs, and the report says that visitors from BRIC nations alone supported an estimated 26 000 jobs in South Africa in 2016.

According to PwC estimates, BRIC tourists spend around R3 billion (€192 million) a year in South Africa through hotels, airlines, restaurants and other leisure activities. For every R1 million (€64 000) spent by tourists, the industry contributes around eight jobs to the economy.

Arrivals from BRIC nations increased by 6.1% in 2017, higher than the average of all tourist arrivals and BRIC nations accounted for 2.7% of all arrivals into the country. PwC has noted that BRIC countries are each distinguished by a certain type of traveller. The report cites that China, for example, is beginning to take advantage of South Africa’s growing reputation as a medical tourism destination. The report also notes: “Compared to foreign tourists in general, BRIC visitors have a lower propensity to visit South Africa for leisure, with more coming for business purposes.”