The South African Ministry of Tourism has confirmed that its international tourism sector is on the recovery trajectory with more than 2.4 million international visitors having visited the country in the first three months of the year 2024.
This was revealed by Minister of Tourism, Patricia de Lille in a statement on Tuesday following release of the latest official international arrival figures by Statistics South Africa (StatsSA).
The numbers reveal that the country’s international arrivals for January to March 2024 has totalled 2.4 million, representing a remarkable 15.4% increase when compared with the same period in 2023.
The minister has welcomed the increase in international travellers saying this 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,” the Minister said on Tuesday.
Last year, the ministry reported that the country welcomed more than 7.6 million international tourist travellers from January to November 2023, representing a 51.8% increase compared to 2022.
The minister says the country welcomed 1.8 million tourist arrivals from the rest of the African continent between January and March 2024, marking a significant 74.5% of all arrivals.
This she said was followed by Zimbabwe and Ghana whose arrivals was remarkable showing gave the country a 21.8% increase in arrivals when compared to the first three months of 2023, totalling 613 675 arrivals, while Ghana recorded a 249.4% increase when compared to the same period in 2023, reaching 7 904 arrivals for January to March 2024.
“Ghana’s immense performance can be attributed to the fact that 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,” de Lille said.
The minster said the country continues to be a favourite travel destination with travellers from other parts of the world who have also continued to show their interest in South Africa and what it has to offer.
Tourist arrivals from the Americas registered at 118 194 from January to March 2024, reflecting a 12.4% growth compared to the same period in 2023.
When it comes to European visitors, the minister indicated that from January to March 2024, South Africa saw 420 727 tourist arrivals from Europe, an 8.6% increase compared to the same period in 2023.
“With more than 125 420 visitors, the United Kingdom remains our top European source market, marking a 5.3% growth compared to 2023. Germany experienced a 9.9% increase in arrivals compared to same period in 2023, amounting to 98 954 tourists.
“This was followed by the Netherlands, which saw an increase of 9.9% when compared to 2023, amounting to 37 548 tourist arrivals between January and March 2024. Russia exhibited a dramatic growth of 9.6% when compared to 2023, contributing 9 329 arrivals in 2024,” the ministry said.
The Star
siyabonga.sithole@inl.co.za