According to the World Travel and Tourism Council, the tourism and travel sector in South Africa is expected to grow at an average rate of 7.6 % annually over the next decade. By 2032, it is estimated that the contribution of this sector to GDP could reach 7.4 % and generate more than 800,000 jobs.

During the first half of 2023, South Africa recorded a 70.6 % increase in tourist arrivals compared to the same period in 2022, totaling 4.8 million international tourists, according to Patricia de Lille, Minister of Tourism. This announcement was made at the launch of the 2023 summer tourism campaign, which took place on Tuesday, September 19.

While acknowledging that this recovery is “undoubtedly” encouraging, the Minister noted that these numbers still represent a 19 1Q3T shortfall compared to pre-pandemic arrival levels.

Tourists from the African continent lead tourist arrivals, while Europe contributed 14.3 1TP3Q to the total number of tourists. “This represents a substantial increase of 61.5 % compared to the same period last year,” highlighted Ms de Lille.

In detail, the United Kingdom remains an important market for South Africa among European countries. During the period under review, British tourist arrivals experienced a growth of 45.7 1TP3Q (204,885 tourists) compared to previous years. Germany recorded a 73.3 % increase in its tourists (132,302), while the Netherlands sent 68,421 visitors, representing a 60 % increase.

At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and its mobility restrictions, the rainbow nation's tourism sector benefited from domestic tourism so far. During the first half of 2023, this subsector experienced an increase of 23.4 % compared to the first half of 2022, as reported by Patricia de Lille.

The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) estimates that the tourism and travel sector in South Africa should grow at an average rate of 7.6 % annually over the next decade. By 2032, the contribution of this sector to GDP is expected to reach 7.4 % and generate more than 800,000 jobs, according to the Council.

Article source: ecomnewsafrique