South Africa saw an increase in international tourist arrivals from January to July 2023.
A total of 4.8 million international tourists made their way into the country in the first half of the year.
According to the Government Communications and Information System (GCIS) this represents a 70.6% increase when compared with the first seven months of 2022.
The government welcomed this growth and said that the data shows that South Africa remains an attractive destination for both domestic and international travellers.
According to Statistics South Africa 2 551 329 (arrivals, departures and transits) travellers entered and exited South Africa in July 2023. It revealed that these travellers were made up of 30% South African residents and 70% foreign travellers.
Stats SA also said that foreign arrivals, 957 501, were made up of 3,1% non-visitors and 96,9% visitors and the visitors, 928 170, consisted of 25,4% same-day visitors and 74,6% overnight visitors (tourists).
“Holiday continues to be the main purpose of visit. About 96,0% of all the tourists were in South Africa for holiday purposes,” said Stats SA in its report.
Meanwhile, Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille joined private sector tourism representatives from the Tourism Business Council of South Africa (TBCSA) to launch the Secura Traveller app and Operations Centre in Joburg on August 31.
According to the minister, the launch of the app comes a few months after a commitment by the TBCSA to launch the app which is aimed at enhancing South Africa’s visitor’s experience.
“The TBCSA is a member of the National Tourism Safety Forum and the app is one of the measures which the forum committed to implementing as part of tourism safety measures.
“The launch of the Secura Traveller app today is a clear indication of just how much positive change can come from partnerships between the public and private sector.
“I look forward to continue collaborations with the private sector as we work towards exceeding our 2019 arrival figures by March 2024,” said De Lille.