Africa is gaining in popularity as a tourist destination - but with the sheer size of the continent, which country do you choose? Well, one simple change from one of the continent's biggest countries has seen a flood of 8 million visitors in 2024. After numbers dwindling in recent years, South Africa is seeing a major resurgence thanks to a change in tactic from tourism bodies. South Africa’s tourism sector is hitting some impressive numbers as visitors from traditional markets such as the United States and Europe have been increasing.
This resurgence in numbers is largely due to the fact that South Africa is seen as a good value destination. During the period of January to November 2024, approximately 7.9 million tourists embarked on South Africa which was an impressive 5% increase compared to the previous year.
Among those impressive figures, roughly 2 million of them were visitors from overseas, an increase of 3.2% previously. Striking while the iron is hot is now a new initiative for South Africa as it looks to actively address barriers which have previously hindered international tourism.
Aligned with the National Development Plan, the South African government is looking to target a staggering 15 million visitors annually by 2030. The South African government is looking to improve travel processes in the country for a more streamlined approach while also investing in strategic marketing and critical infrastructure as seen in the recently approved Air Route Development .