The majority of the tourists entering South Africa between 2021 and 2024 were from the African continent. In February 2023, the number of tourists from Africa amounted to almost 515,000 tourists. Europe and North America followed with roughly 146,000 and 30,000 visitors, respectively. During the period under review, the number of tourists in the country was lowest in 2021 due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) lockdowns, which was first introduced in March 2020 and was officially lifted in April 2022.

The number of international tourist arrivals in South Africa was forecast to continuously increase between 2024 and 2029 by in total 2.8 million arrivals (+20.47 percent). After the ninth consecutive increasing year, the arrivals is estimated to reach 16.52 million arrivals and therefore a new peak in 2029. Depicted is the number of inbound international tourists. According to World Bank this refers to tourists travelling to a country which is not their usual residence, whereby the main purpose is not work related and the planned visitation period does not exceed 12 months. The forecast has been adjusted for the expected impact of COVID-19.The shown data are an excerpt of Statista's Key Market Indicators (KMI). The KMI are a collection of primary and secondary indicators on the macro-economic, demographic and technological environment in more than 150 countries and regions worldwide. All input data are sourced from international institutions, national statistical offices, and trade associations. All data has been are processed to generate comparable datasets (see supplementary notes under details for more information).Find more key insights for the number of international tourist arrivals in countries like Botswana and Lesotho.

The international tourism receipts per capita in South Africa were forecast to continuously increase between 2024 and 2029 by in total 469 U.S. dollars (+34.34 percent). According to this forecast, in 2029, the receipts per capita will have increased for the ninth consecutive year to 1,834.65 U.S. dollars. Receipts denote expenditures by inbound tourists from other countries. Domestic tourism expenditures are not included. The forecast has been adjusted for the expected impact of COVID-19. The shown data are an excerpt of Statista's Key Market Indicators (KMI). The KMI are a collection of primary and secondary indicators on the macro-economic, demographic and technological environment in more than 150 countries and regions worldwide. All input data are sourced from international institutions, national statistical offices, and trade associations. All data has been are processed to generate comparable datasets (see supplementary notes under details for more information).Find more key insights for the international tourism receipts per capita in countries like Botswana and Lesotho.

Tourist accommodation monthly statistics

Tourist Arrivals in South Africa decreased to 1040785 in June from 1125559 in May of 2025. This dataset provides - South Africa Tourist Arrivals - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

South Africa ZA: International Tourism: Receipts data was reported at 8.807 USD bn in 2016. This records a decrease from the previous number of 9.140 USD bn for 2015. South Africa ZA: International Tourism: Receipts data is updated yearly, averaging 8.656 USD bn from Dec 1995 (Median) to 2016, with 22 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 11.202 USD bn in 2012 and a record low of 2.654 USD bn in 1995. South Africa ZA: International Tourism: Receipts data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s South Africa – Table ZA.World Bank.WDI: Tourism Statistics. International tourism receipts are expenditures by international inbound visitors, including payments to national carriers for international transport. These receipts include any other prepayment made for goods or services received in the destination country. They also may include receipts from same-day visitors, except when these are important enough to justify separate classification. For some countries they do not include receipts for passenger transport items. Data are in current U.S. dollars.; ; World Tourism Organization, Yearbook of Tourism Statistics, Compendium of Tourism Statistics and data files.; Gap-filled total;

This statistic shows a ranking of the estimated international tourist arrivals in 2020 in Africa, differentiated by country. The forecast has been adjusted for the expected impact of COVID-19.The shown data are an excerpt of Statista's Key Market Indicators (KMI). The KMI are a collection of primary and secondary indicators on the macro-economic, demographic and technological environment in more than 150 countries and regions worldwide. All input data are sourced from international institutions, national statistical offices, and trade associations. All data has been are processed to generate comparable datasets (see supplementary notes under details for more information).

South Africa ZA: International Tourism: Receipts: for Travel Items data was reported at 7.919 USD bn in 2016. This records a decrease from the previous number of 8.259 USD bn for 2015. South Africa ZA: International Tourism: Receipts: for Travel Items data is updated yearly, averaging 7.570 USD bn from Dec 1995 (Median) to 2016, with 22 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 9.996 USD bn in 2012 and a record low of 2.126 USD bn in 1995. South Africa ZA: International Tourism: Receipts: for Travel Items data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s South Africa – Table ZA.World Bank.WDI: Tourism Statistics. International tourism receipts for travel items are expenditures by international inbound visitors in the reporting economy. The goods and services are purchased by, or on behalf of, the traveler or provided, without a quid pro quo, for the traveler to use or give away. These receipts should include any other prepayment made for goods or services received in the destination country. They also may include receipts from same-day visitors, except in cases where these are so important as to justify a separate classification. Excluded is the international carriage of travelers, which is covered in passenger travel items. Data are in current U.S. dollars.; ; World Tourism Organization, Yearbook of Tourism Statistics, Compendium of Tourism Statistics and data files.; Gap-filled total;

The international tourism expenditure per capita in South Africa was forecast to continuously increase between 2024 and 2029 by in total 310 U.S. dollars (+37.65 percent). According to this forecast, in 2029, the expenditure will have increased for the ninth consecutive year to 1,133.38 U.S. dollars. Covered are expenditures of international outbound visitors to other countries from the selected region, including payments to foreign carriers for international transport. Domestic tourism expenditures are not included. The forecast has been adjusted for the expected impact of COVID-19.The shown data are an excerpt of Statista's Key Market Indicators (KMI). The KMI are a collection of primary and secondary indicators on the macro-economic, demographic and technological environment in more than 150 countries and regions worldwide. All input data are sourced from international institutions, national statistical offices, and trade associations. All data has been are processed to generate comparable datasets (see supplementary notes under details for more information).Find more key insights for the international tourism expenditure per capita in countries like Lesotho and Botswana.

Abstract

The DTS is a large-scale household survey aimed at collecting accurate statistics on the travel behaviour and expenditure of South African residents travelling within the borders of the country. Such information is crucial when determining the contribution of tourism to the South African economy, as well as helping with planning, marketing, policy formulation, and the regulation of tourism-related activities.

Geographic coverage

The survey had national coverage

Analysis unit

Households and individuals

Universe

The target population of the survey consists of all private households in all nine provinces of South Africa and residents in workers’ hostels. The survey does not cover other collective living quarters such as students’ hostels, oldage homes, hospitals, prisons and military barracks, and is therefore only representative of non-institutionalised and non-military persons or households in South Africa.

Kind of data

Sample survey data

Sampling procedure

The sample design for the DTS 2020 was based on a Master Sample (MS) that has been designed for all household surveys conducted by Statistics South Africa.

The Master Sample used a two-staged, stratified design with probability-proportional-to-size (PPS) sampling of PSUs from within strata, and systematic sampling of dwelling units (DUs) from the sampled primary sampling units (PSUs). A self-weighting design at provincial level was used. Stratification was done in two stages: Primary stratification was defined by metropolitan and non-metropolitan geographic area type. During secondary stratification, the Census 2011 data were summarised at PSU level. The following variables were used for secondary stratification: household size, education, occupancy status, gender, industry and income.

Mode of data collection

Computer Assisted Telephone Interview

Key information about South Africa Tourism Revenue

• South Africa's Tourism Revenue reached 303 USD mn in Dec 2024, compared with 278 USD mn in the previous month
• South Africa's Tourism Revenue data is updated monthly, available from Sep 2004 to Dec 2024
• The data reached an all-time high of 462 USD mn in Jun 2010 and a record low of 3 USD mn in Apr 2020

South Africa ZA: International Tourism: Number of Arrivals data was reported at 10,044,000.000 Person in 2016. This records an increase from the previous number of 8,904,000.000 Person for 2015. South Africa ZA: International Tourism: Number of Arrivals data is updated yearly, averaging 7,190,500.000 Person from Dec 1995 (Median) to 2016, with 22 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 10,044,000.000 Person in 2016 and a record low of 4,488,000.000 Person in 1995. South Africa ZA: International Tourism: Number of Arrivals data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s South Africa – Table ZA.World Bank.WDI: Tourism Statistics. International inbound tourists (overnight visitors) are the number of tourists who travel to a country other than that in which they have their usual residence, but outside their usual environment, for a period not exceeding 12 months and whose main purpose in visiting is other than an activity remunerated from within the country visited. When data on number of tourists are not available, the number of visitors, which includes tourists, same-day visitors, cruise passengers, and crew members, is shown instead. Sources and collection methods for arrivals differ across countries. In some cases data are from border statistics (police, immigration, and the like) and supplemented by border surveys. In other cases data are from tourism accommodation establishments. For some countries number of arrivals is limited to arrivals by air and for others to arrivals staying in hotels. Some countries include arrivals of nationals residing abroad while others do not. Caution should thus be used in comparing arrivals across countries. The data on inbound tourists refer to the number of arrivals, not to the number of people traveling. Thus a person who makes several trips to a country during a given period is counted each time as a new arrival.; ; World Tourism Organization, Yearbook of Tourism Statistics, Compendium of Tourism Statistics and data files.; Gap-filled total;

In 2021, the number of tourists in South Africa amounted to 2.3 million. This was a drop compared to 2020, when the number of overnight arrivals in the country amounted to 2.8 million. Between 2012 and 2019, the number of tourist arrivals in the country increased yearly, except for slight drops in 2015 and 2019. However, international overnight arrivals dropped noticeably in 2020 and 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

 South Africa tourist arrivals

South Africa came second in a ranking of the leading African countries in terms of international tourist arrivals in 2021. It only had around 220,000 fewer international arrivals than the most visited country, Tunisia. The tourism industry is one of the key industries in South Africa attracting visitors from all over the world. In 2021, the largest number of visitors to South Africa from a non-African country came from the United States of America (USA) with 82,020 visitors.

 Lower contribution of the tourism sector to the economy

The contribution of the travel and tourism sector reached 3.2 percent of the South African GDP in 2021. This was a drop compared to 2019 pre-pandemic (COVID-19) levels from 6.4 percent of the GDP. As a result, the contribution of travel and tourism to employment in the sector dropped. In 2021, the industry provided almost 1.1 million jobs, this was over 1.5 million jobs in 2019.

Abstract

Statistics South Africa collects data on foreign tourism from the South African Department of Home Affairs. Data on domestic tourism is also needed to measure its contribution to the national economy. The Domestic Tourism Survey (DTS) is aimed at addressing this need by collecting data on the travel behaviour and expenditure of South African residents travelling within and outside the borders of South Africa. This survey provides data on domestic tourism activity during the period January to December 2014.

Geographic coverage

The survey had national coverage

Analysis unit

Households and individuals

Universe

The target population of the survey consists of all private households and residents in workers' hostels in the nine provinces of South Africa. The survey does not cover other collective living quarters such as students' hostels, old age homes, hospitals, prisons and military barracks.

Kind of data

Sample survey data

Sampling procedure

For the Domestic Tourism Survey SSA used a household survey master sample of 3 080 primary sampling units from the 80 787 enumeration areas (EAs) created for the 2001 Population Census. The master sample used a two-stage, stratified design with probability-proportional-to-size (PPS) sampling of PSUs from within strata, and systematic sampling of dwelling units (DUs) from the sampled primary sampling units (PSUs). A self-weighting design at provincial level was used and MS stratification was divided into two levels, primary and secondary stratification. Primary stratification was defined by metropolitan and non-metropolitan geographic area type. During secondary stratification, the 2001 data were summarised at PSU level. The following variables were used for secondary stratification; household size, education, occupancy status, gender, industry and income.

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face

Research instrument

Household Questionnaire: This includes sections on: Household characteristcs, household listing, education, tourism employment, trips taken, day trips, overnight trips, barriers to taking trips, business and professional trips, recreation entertainment, sports trips, nature based trips, religious trips, medical trips, type of transport, expenditure on trips, social activites

Statistics South Africa provides data on international tourism based on secondary data obtained from the South African Department of Home Affairs. The information from this data used by stakeholders to measure and understand international tourism in South Africa. Detailed information about national domestic tourism is limited, however and there was a need to collect more detailed information on domestic tourism in order to better understand and measure the contribution of the tourism industry towards the national economy. The Domestic Tourism Survey (DTS) is aimed at addressing this need by collecting accurate statistics on the travel behaviour and expenditure of South African residents travelling within and outside the borders of South Africa. Such information is crucial in determining the contribution of tourism to the South African economy as well as helping with planning, marketing, policy formulation and regulation of tourism-related activities. This survey provides data on domestic tourism activity during the period December 2008 February 2009. For, this in addition to the basic demographic information collected in the majority of household surveys conducted by Statistics South Africa, the DTS covers five areas specifically related to travel and expenditure patterns. These include trips taken by the household, domestic day trips by the respondent and/or other household members, domestic day trips by other household members (without the respondent), domestic overnight trips by the respondent and/or other household members, domestic overnight trips by other household members (without the respondent).

South Africa ZA: International Tourism: Receipts: % of Total Exports data was reported at 9.659 % in 2016. This records an increase from the previous number of 9.512 % for 2015. South Africa ZA: International Tourism: Receipts: % of Total Exports data is updated yearly, averaging 9.541 % from Dec 1995 (Median) to 2016, with 22 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 14.092 % in 2003 and a record low of 7.715 % in 1995. South Africa ZA: International Tourism: Receipts: % of Total Exports data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s South Africa – Table ZA.World Bank.WDI: Tourism Statistics. International tourism receipts are expenditures by international inbound visitors, including payments to national carriers for international transport. These receipts include any other prepayment made for goods or services received in the destination country. They also may include receipts from same-day visitors, except when these are important enough to justify separate classification. For some countries they do not include receipts for passenger transport items. Their share in exports is calculated as a ratio to exports of goods and services, which comprise all transactions between residents of a country and the rest of the world involving a change of ownership from residents to nonresidents of general merchandise, goods sent for processing and repairs, nonmonetary gold, and services.; ; World Tourism Organization, Yearbook of Tourism Statistics, Compendium of Tourism Statistics and data files, and IMF and World Bank exports estimates.; Weighted average;

Statistics South Africa collects data on foreign tourism from the South African Department of Home Affairs. Data on domestic tourism is also needed to measure its contribution to the national economy. The Domestic Tourism Survey (DTS) is aimed at addressing this need by collecting data on the travel behaviour and expenditure of South African residents travelling within and outside the borders of South Africa. This survey provides data on domestic tourism activity during the period January to December 2014.

As of February 2024, the number of tourists arriving in South Africa amounted to over 1.2 million, which is more than double than the amount arriving in the year prior. Of those, the majority (515,245) were from the African continent. Europe and North America followed with roughly 146,000 and 30,500 tourists, respectively.

Forecast: Inbound Tourism Expenditure on Accommodation Services for Visitors in South Africa 2024 - 2028 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

Tourism receipts of South Africa plummeted by 70.04% from 9,064,000,000 US dollars in 2019 to 2,716,000,000 US dollars in 2020. Since the 0.86% rise in 2018, tourism receipts sank by 72.25% in 2020. International tourism receipts are expenditures by international inbound visitors, including payments to national carriers for international transport. These receipts include any other prepayment made for goods or services received in the destination country. They also may include receipts from same-day visitors, except when these are important enough to justify separate classification. For some countries they do not include receipts for passenger transport items. Data are in current U.S. dollars.