Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille says South Africa received 152% increase in tourists last year. She was speaking during the official opening of the 44th Africa’s Travel Indaba at Durban’s ICC on Tuesday where she said it’s encouraging that the majority of those 5.8 million tourists came from the continent.
“Africa’s tourism sector is open and thriving, offering various products and experiences catering to travellers’ needs and preferences.
“We have seen encouraging growth in our tourist arrival numbers between January and December 2022 where it reached nearly 5.8million with over 4 million of those arrivals from African countries. This represents an overall inbound increase of 152.6% for South Africa compared to January to December 2021,” said De Lille.
De Lille said after stronger than expected recovery in 2022, this year could see international tourist arrivals to South Africa return to pre-pandemic levels, especially those from Europe and the Middle East.
“These numbers demonstrate the immense potential of tourism in Africa, not only as a revenue generator but also as a job creator and a catalyst for faster economic growth,” she said while touching on the impact of visas on the sector.
“We must have a harmonised visa regiment across the continent to make it easier for visitors to move from one country to another. We must also simplify the e-visa application process and reduce visa costs to make Africa a more attractive destination for both Africans and international travellers.
“In this regard, South Africa has visa waivers for several African countries for a specified period and up to a maximum of 90 days, including SADC countries such as Tanzania, Namibia. Angola, Mozambique. Mauritius, Malawi and Botswana,” she said.
The Minister said the government rolled out the e-visa system to several countries including Kenya, Nigeria, Egypt, Ethiopia, Uganda, Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of Congo and was expanding the e-visa system to an additional 20 countries.
KwaZulu-Natal Premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube said it was important for the economy to recover following the devastating floods in the province.
“The return of our tourism sector is well on its way having recorded a recovery of R2.5 billion during the December period. As the provincial government announced, the province welcomed over half a million domestic tourists and 51 000 international tourists,” she said.
Africa’s Travel Indaba provides the ideal platform for us to collectively showcase our African products and experiences.
