South Africa surpasses pre‑COVID total arrivals – overseas markets still lag
South Africa has exceeded pre‑COVID totals, recording 8.56 million international arrivals between January and October – 2% above the same period in 2019 – after a 35.8% year‑on‑year surge in October, according to Statistics South Africa. Overseas markets remain below pre‑pandemic levels at just over 1.9 million arrivals for the period – 9.4% lower than 2019 – signalling a recovery still weighted towards regional travel.
Performance by source region was mixed: Europe was 11% down on 2019, while North America rose 4.5%, Australasia 14% and the Middle East 12%; Asia was 31% lower and Central and South America 20% lower. Industry leaders called for stronger long‑haul recovery – TBCSA’s Tshifhiwa Tshivhengwa urged intensified destination marketing and rebuilding air capacity, noting overseas visitors accounted for 49.7% of tourism spend in 2024 despite about 24% of arrivals, while SA Tourism said European long‑haul capacity remains 22% below 2019. Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille said the figures point to sustained growth, while FEDHASA highlighted the need for granular data on visitor distribution, occupancies and spend.
Source: Tourism Update
