A total of 9,188,368 international tourists visited South Africa in 2012, 10.2 per cent more than the 8,339,354 tourists who travelled to the country in 2011, President Jacob Zuma announced in Cape Town recently. South Africa’s tourist growth rate in 2012 was more than double the rate of average global tourist growth of about four per cent estimated by the United Nations World Tourism Organisation in 2012.
South Africa saw particularly good overseas tourist growth (tourists from outside of the African continent), which grew by 15.1 per cent, one of the highest growth rates in the world last year. Europe remained the highest source of overseas tourists to South Africa, growing by 9.5 per cent on 2011 figures and attracting a total of 1,396,978 tourists to the country last year – more than half the total number of overseas tourists.
The United Kingdom continues to be South Africa’s biggest overseas tourism market, with 438 023 UK tourists travelling to South Africa in 2012 (4.2 per cent up on 2011 figures). Particularly strong growth was recorded in 2012 from Asia (up 33.7 per cent on the figures recorded in 2011), driven by growth from China and India, and Central and South America (up 37.0 per cent), thanks to continued good tourist growth out of Brazil.
“We are extremely happy with our tourist arrivals figures for 2012 and our continued tourism growth from all regions. This phenomenal tourism growth is evidence that we are successfully setting ourselves apart in a competitive marketplace and that South Africa’s reputation as a friendly, welcoming, inspiring and unique tourism destination continues to grow,” said President Zuma, when announcing the 2012 international tourism statistics at a media briefing at the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront today.
