Tourism to South Africa

The tourism industry in South Africa is a significant player in the country’s economy. It brings in money from abroad and is a valued source of employment. Everyone is getting hyped for the opportunities that 2010 will or should bring to the industry. Tourist arrivals are up by 14.5% and from Jan – Sept 2006 over 6 million people visited South Africa.

Tourism Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk gave 2006 data for SA Tourism in an address to the African Business Tourism Conference in Sandton where he said that Africa had achieved the fastest growth rate of any region worldwide.

A summary of the numbers is:

• There was a 14.5% increase in 2006 from 2005 in tourism arrivals
• Over 6 million (6,055,726) people visited South Africa between Jan – Sept 2006.
• The largest source of arrivals are from Africa – 18.3% are from the African continent.
• The Number of Visitors from specific regions/countries changes as follows:

• North America grew by 9.7%
• Russia grew by 42.4%
• Hungary grew by 24.1%
• Finland grew by 17.4%
• India grew by 17.5%
• Asia grew by 4.5% (“excellent growth” in arrivals from Japan, Thailand, Singapore, but China, Malaysia and Philippines declined)