From January to August 2024, South Africa welcomed 280000 visitors from the US a 7 increase compared with the same period in 2023. Arrivals are currently at 99.7 of pre-pandemic levels.
Canada also showed positive progress with arrivals increasing by 4.1 during the same period, reaching 85.9 of pre-pandemic levels. We are confident that, by year-end, US arrivals will surpass pre-pandemic figures, says Dinky Malikane , South African Tourism SAT Regional GM Americas.
Malikane credits SATs proactive engagement with top travel trade consortia and associations, which have been instrumental in driving destination awareness, affinity and conversion through focused campaigns and activations in North America.
Recent travel trade webinars highlighted the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal aimed at expanding advisers knowledge of these provinces and promoting a broader geographic spread of visitors to explore their variety of experiences and unique culture. Black travellers are particularly drawn to South Africas cultural diversity and opportunities to engage with local communities.
Additionally, we are working to finalise a resource directory that will provide more than 100000 US and Canadian travel advisers with a searchable database of South African products, services and experiences to assist with itinerary planning.
