SOUTH AFRICA – Tourist arrivals to South Africa from other African countries increased by 9.4% in H1 2024 compared to the same period in 2023, indicating a steady recovery in both air and land travel segments in the post-pandemic era, according to SA’s Department of Statistics.
However, Stats SA revealed overall tourist arrivals still trail pre-pandemic levels by 12%.
Land arrivals, which include neighboring countries, have increased by 9% in H1 2024 compared to the first half of 2023. Zambia and Mozambique lead the recorded recovery, with tourist arrivals increasing by 17.8% and 19.5% respectively.
The major outlier in land arrivals in H1 2024 was Lesotho, whose arrivals declined by 16% in the reported half. Eswatini and Malawi also reported slight declines, less than a percentage point.
Air travel to South Africa reported a stronger recovery compared to land travel. Tourist arrivals by air increased by 23% in H1 2024, although they are still 14% below 2019 levels.
The Ghanaian market showed remarkable growth with a 210% increase in air arrivals to South Africa. Air arrivals from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) increased by 43.3% while arrivals from Nigeria increased by 33.1%.
The major outliers in air arrivals in H1 2024 were Angola and Uganda, whose air arrivals recorded declines of 5.6% and 1% respectively.
The department attributed the reported improvements in tourist arrivals to South Africa’s visa waiver program. Ghana was granted a visa waiver in November 2023.
Kenya was also granted a visa waiver in January 2023 and recorded significant growth in air travel arrivals in the reported half.
Evelyn Mahlaba, Regional Director of South African Tourism reacted to the report by saying, “These waivers, combined with improved airlift capacity and targeted marketing campaigns, have proven to be highly effective in driving tourism growth from these countries.”
“The visa waiver system, where applied, has demonstrated that easing travel restrictions can lead to immediate and substantial increases in tourist numbers.”
However, challenges such as visa requirements in some countries like Ethiopia, limited air connectivity, and the availability of products to package the African markets hinder growth.
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