Tourism in South Africa: Facts, Figures and Attractions

This fact sheet provides an overview of tourism in South Africa, including the country's top attractions, accommodation options, types of tourism, and economic impact. It also highlights South Africa's emerging entrepreneurs and its status as a global leader in responsible tourism.

South Africa
It is situated at the
southern tip of Africa,
the country has a
landmass of 1 233 404
square km edged on 3
sides by a nearly
3000km coastline
washed by the Indian
Ocean and Atlantic.
The tourism industry
is well-established in
South Africa with an
exciting sector of the
emerging entrepreneurs.
The country is strong in
the sport, adventure,
wildlife travel, nature and
global leader in
responsible tourism.
International visitors
The international
visitors are
increasing rapidly in
South Africa. In the
year 2006, 10.23
million people tourist
visited the place and
the number increase
to 14.86 million by
the year 2014.
According to the
statistic, in the year
2016, the number of
tourists in South
Africa was 15.52
million. It is
forecasted that the
number will reach to
18.5 million by the
year 2021 (Statista,
2018).
Fact Sheet
South Africa

Visitor’s origin
The number of the foreign
overnight visitor to South
Africa by the country of origin
in 2016 is shown with the help
of below-given pie chart. In
the year 2016, the largest
number of the foreign
overnight visitors to South
Africa came from Zimbabwe
with approximately 2.03 million
visitors (Statista, 2018).
Visitors origin
Zimbabwe
Lesotho
Mozambique
Swaziland
Botswana
UK
US
Germany
Namibia
Zambia
whale watching, nightlife, food
and wine and Table Mountain.
The garden routes of South Africa
are an area rich in natural beauty
and charm, attracting cape point
are famous for their scenic
beauty, adventure-seekers and
outdoor enthusiasts.
Johannesburg is known as the
city of gold with its opportunity
for the shopping, entertainment,
eating out and different freedom
tours (South Africa Tourism,
2018).
Types of tourism
There are different types of
tourism which include Travel
tourism, domestic tourism,
inbound and outbound tourism,
leisure travel and many others.
Most of the visitors travel
different places with numerous
purposes.
A key attraction in South Africa
In South Africa, there are
numerous attraction places
where people like to visit. Some
of the places are Cape Town &
Cape Peninsula, The Winelands,
Garden Route, Johannesburg,
Kruger National Park, Durban
Beachfront, Robben Island,
Soweto and many others.
Cape Town and the Cape
Peninsula up are famous for
South Africa or backpacking
from region to region this
country offers a wide range of
accommodation options to suit
every budget and traveling style.
These options include Luxury 5
star hotels, game lodges, small
hotels, lodges and inns, luxury
tented safari camps, guest
houses, self-catering
accommodation for the luxury
and the sell catering people and
many others (South Africa
Explored, 2018). There is the
availability of backpackers and
caravan parks at the camping
sites in South Africa.
Accommodation options in South Africa
In South Africa, there are
different places where the
visitors can stay depending on
the purpose of the visit to the
place. South Africa place is
visited for both holiday and
business travel reservations.
Whether the visitors are
planning a luxury vacation to
2

The tourism industry plays a
vital role in the South African
economy. The recent report of
Tourism Satellite Account for
South Africa provided an
overview of the tourism
contribution in terms of
spending, employment and its
impact on the gross domestic
product. There is a direct impact
of the tourism on the GDP of the
country as GDP was R 103, 6
billion in the year 201, rising
from R 93, 5 billion in the year
2012. There is the contribution
of both domestic and
international visitors in the GDP
of the country which is clear
from the pie chart given below.
During the year 2013, 14, 3
million non-resident visitors
visited South Africa and the
number increased to 13, 1
million in the year 2012 which
were 12, 1 million in the year
2011 (Stats SA, 2015).
Interna
tional
Visitor
s
43%
Domes
tic
Visitor
s
57%
Amount invested by
the Visitors = R 218,9
billion
The economic impact of tourism on GDP
Key tourism activities in
South Africa
There are different tourism
activities available in South
Africa which includes an
outdoor playground,
Bustling City Life, Breath-
taking scenery, Sun-Soaked
Coastlines, vibrant culture
and many others (South
Africa Tourism, 2018).
Breath-taking scenery: -
Numerous breath-taking
sceneries are available in
South-Africa that can amaze
the visitors and can make
them feel delights with the
experience.
Outdoor playground: - in the
outdoor playground the visitors can
enjoy different activities which
include adventures in Clarens, off-
road adventures in the Northern
Cape, diving at the south coast (it is
famous across the world for the best
diving), canopy tours, Shark Alley
and paragliding in the Hermanus
(South Africa Tourism, 2018).
Vibrant culture: - This includes the
activities related to the culture of the
country such as visit at ancient
Mapungubwe, the national art
gallery of South African, the
freedom struggle of South Africa’s
craft markets, the hidden treasures
of the country and many others.
Bustling City Life: - The city life
of South Africa is liked by many
visitors as it is one of the
interesting activities. It includes a
visit to food and wine festivals,
Port Elizabeth, roaming Sun City
and many others (ETN, 2018).
3

Destination features need to be showcased
 South Africa can demonstrate their skills and capabilities in cultivating the various precious
herbs which are mainly used in making medicines as it will help them in promoting their
countries image in front of the other countries.
 It is recommended to showcase scenic and hiking activities performed in the country as
there is the availability of mountains. Moreover, the views of South-Africa are pleasant that
can make the other person enjoy the weather and sceneries.
References
ETN (2018) South African Tourism’s 2017 travel trade activity in numbers [Online]. Available from:
https://www.eturbonews.com/176326/south-african-tourisms-2017-travel-trade-activity-numbers
[Accessed on 1st April 2018]
South Africa Explored (2018) South Africa Accommodation [Online]. Available from: https://www.sa-
venues.com/accommodation_south_africa.htm [Accessed on 1st April 2018]
South Africa Tourism (2018) Outdoor Playground [Online]. Available from:
http://country.southafrica.net/country/in/en/articles/category-landing/en-in-outdoor-playground [Accessed
on 1st April 2018]
South Africa Tourism (2018) Popular South African Attractions [Online]. Available from:
http://country.southafrica.net/country/in/en/top10/entry/top-10-attractions-enin [Accessed on 1st April
2018]
South Africa Tourism (2018) South Africa Fast Facts [Online]. Available from:
http://country.southafrica.net/country/in/en/content/page/sa-factsheet-enin [Accessed on 1st April 2018]
Statista (2018) Number of foreign overnight visitors to South Africa by country of origin in 2016 (in
1,000s) [Online]. Available from: https://www.statista.com/statistics/800345/visitors-to-south-africa-by-
country-of-origin/ [Accessed on 1st April 2018]
Statista (2018) Number of tourists in South Africa from 2006 to 2021 (in millions) [Online]. Available from:
https://www.statista.com/statistics/300683/number-of-tourists-in-south-africa/ [Accessed on 1st April
2018]
Stats SA (2015) An economic look at the tourism industry [Online]. Available from:
http://www.statssa.gov.za/?p=4362 [Accessed on 1st April 2018]