-Edited- South Africa is still is still a favourable tourist destination with more than 4-million tourists in the first half of this year.
This is according to Tourism Minister, Patricia de Lille , who says: “We are eager to welcome more tourists as we head into the busy summer season .
SA’s tourism sector continues to show strong recovery with the first half of 2023 recording more than four million tourist arrivals. “This is a significant increase from the 2, 3 million tourist arrivals between January and June 2022 , according to the latest StatsSA.
“The total number of tourist arrivals to South Africa between January and June 2023 showed a sizable 78.2% surge in the first half of 2023 when compared to the same period in 2022.
De Lille was speaking at the second National Tourism Safety Forum meeting in Cape Town with various stakeholders in the tourism sector. “South Africa receives millions of tourists per year, and the vast majority of visitors return home without any issues and a memorable experience of the country.
“Africa continues to bring the largest share of tourist arrivals to South Africa with more than three million arrivals from the rest of the African continent in the first six months of 2023. This is a testament to the marketing efforts we have implemented to attract tourists from this region. Africa remains a key source market for us, and we are committed to collaborating as a tourism sector to make sure we welcome visitors from this region and that we cater for their needs and preferences.
“South Africa also welcomed more visitors from other regions too. The Asia region almost doubled its figures with a 99.5% growth compared to 2022. “This year, Europe, the largest source of visitors outside Africa, also experienced solid growth of 66.8.1%, when compared to the same period in 2022.
North America, Central & South America, and the Middle East also demonstrated strong growth trends with rates of 70.6%, 74.4%, and 75.8% respectively, she recounted. “These robust figures showcase South Africa’s charm and attractiveness as well as the work that we are doing in marketing South Africa as a tourist destination of choice.”
De Lille also revealed the Tourism department is gearing up for the summer season and will launch ‘Summer Campaign’ in two weeks’ time in the Eastern Cape. ”While the latest statistics from StatsSA reveal an upward trend in tourist arrivals, issues of safety are an obstacle and affects tourism in many parts of the world. This has been stated by tourism ministers in other countries. Countries are grappling with issues of instability and wars in some countries.
In a bid to ensure the safety of tourists SA Department of Tourism will be deploying tourism monitors to all provinces at top tourist attractions and national parks. The monitors will be deployed towards the end of October or early November 2023, in time for the summer tourist season.
Responsibilities of the appointed tourism monitors include patrolling within the identified attractions and site/ areas, raising tourism awareness and provide information to tourists and report any crime incidents to the South African Police Service (SAPS) and other relevant enforcement agencies.
