JOHANNESBURG, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- The international tourist arrivals to South Africa increased by 5.1 percent in 2024 compared with that of 2023, the country's Department of Tourism said Monday.
A total of 8.92 million tourists visited South Africa in 2024. African countries provided the bulk of visitors, contributing 76 percent of all tourists last year, with other regions showing steady recovery, according to Minister of Tourism Patricia de Lille.
"It is encouraging to see that despite economic uncertainties in various parts of the world, the global tourism sector is growing. It is even more encouraging that our country follows the same trend and trajectory," said de Lille.
Statistics showed that South Africa received 2,183,260 tourists from Zimbabwe, up 3.6 percent year on year. Meanwhile, the country had 36,656 arrivals from Ghana last year, up 149 percent from 2023, with the tourism department attributing the increase to the introduction of a visa waiver in November 2023 and air transport availability.
Tourist arrivals from Asia went up 4.2 percent, with 207,718 tourists recorded in 2024. South Africa received 41,651 arrivals from China in 2024, up 11.4 percent.
"The tourism sector is a strong contributor to the economy and job creation. We are determined to continue with this momentum and push the numbers much higher so that we can grow our contribution to economic growth and job creation even further," said de Lille.
The official said they would continue to promote the country's tourism in key targeted markets including China, India, and the Americas. ■
