Arrivals Stats Illustrate Urgency To Address Constraints
Private-sector leaders are urging government to double down on efforts to capitalise South Africas international tourism potential in light of arrivals underperformance in 2024.
According to Statistics South Africas latest International Tourism Report, the country recorded a 5.1 year-on-year increase in total arrivals to over 8.9 million just 87 of the full-year 2019 figure of over 10.2 million. Overseas visitor arrivals grew by 3.7 to just over 2.1 million or 82 of 2019 levels.
In a statement on the figures, the Department of Tourism acknowledges that, while the year-on-year growth represents steady progress, more consistent investment in air connectivity and global marketing is needed to remain competitive.
David Frost , Chief Executive Officer of SATSA , agrees the country is lagging behind its regional competitors.
'South Africa is significantly underperforming against countries like Kenya and Tanzania, which have far exceeded their pre-COVID numbers. Systemic inefficiency, combined with air access challenges and infrastructure issues like recent fuel shortages at OR Tambo, continues to strangle our growth potential.