South Africa’s tourism hits record 10M arrivals, a 17% YoY increase

SOUTH AFRICA – South Africa welcomed a record 10.48 million international visitors in 2025, a 17.6% year-on-year increase that underscores tourism’s vital economic role.

Minister of Tourism Patricia de Lille has reaffirmed the sector’s position as a cornerstone for job creation and investment, highlighting a multi-pronged national strategy to sustain growth.

Record Arrivals and Strategic Framework

The landmark arrival figures coincided with the country being named ‘Best Destination: Africa 2025’ by the Travel Weekly Reader’s Choice Awards.

Minister de Lille attributed this success to deliberate policy and public-private collaboration, anchored by the newly endorsed Tourism Growth Partnership Plan.

This industry-co-developed plan focuses on five key priorities, monitored by a real-time performance dashboard to ensure accountability and tangible results.

Priority One: Enhancing Ease of Access

A primary focus is streamlining visitor access.

The Department of Home Affairs is rolling out an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) system, beginning with key source markets like India, China, Mexico, and Indonesia.

The full implementation of the ETA is projected to create between 80,000 and 100,000 new jobs.

Parallel efforts are strengthening air connectivity, with new routes including Qantas’ Perth-Johannesburg service, Air France’s seasonal Cape Town flight, and expanded domestic links such as FlySafair’s Hoedspruit-Cape Town route.

Safety, Product Development, and Technology Integration

Tourist safety remains critical, coordinated through a dedicated Tourism Safety Forum. Over the recent festive season, 1,500 tourism monitors were deployed nationwide.

On the development front, the inaugural Tourism Infrastructure Investment Summit launched eight bankable projects worth approximately R1 billion (approx. US$53.2 million), with three already funded.

Major investments like the R2.5 billion (approx. US$133 million) Club Med development signal strong investor confidence.

Technology is also being harnessed, exemplified by the launch of ‘Siyanda,’ an AI-powered travel assistant for North American travelers.

Business Events and Economic Impact

The business events sector continues to flourish, with 51 bids secured in the current financial year, generating an estimated R894.5 million (approx. US$47.6 million) in economic impact.

Major trade shows like Meetings Africa 2025 and Africa’s Travel Indaba contributed a combined R1.3 billion (approx. US$69.1 million) and supported over 2,200 jobs.

The sector’s strength is further validated by the upcoming World Economic Forum Special Davos Meeting in South Africa.

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