SA Tourism records a ‘staggering’ increase in numbers for 2022

Lindiwe Sisulu says South African Tourism is set for positive growth. Photo: GovernmentZA / flickr

Minister of Tourism, Lindiwe Sisulu, says that the SA tourism sector is set for a tremendous bounce back after recent numbers proved positive.

Lindiwe Sisulu says South African Tourism is set for positive growth. Photo: GovernmentZA / flickr

SA Tourism has grown ‘impressively’, says Lindiwe Sisulu

In a recent media briefing in Johannesburg, Tourism Minister Lindiwe Sisulu presented the domestic and international tourism performance for January to June 2022, and the stats were extremely positive.

According to TravelDailyNews, the minister said that the South African tourism sector was poised for a tremendous bounce back and positive growth after stats from the the first half of the year (2022) showed a staggering 147% in arrivals reaching an impressive 2 285 746.

We are particularly pleased that the arrivals from the Americas increased by 331% and represented 128 991 arrivals,” Sisulu said.

Sisulu also said that Europe was and remains South Africa’s key overseas market and that it had the most considerable percentage increase in arrivals of 563%.

The minister claimed that the most heart-warming aspect of the numbers was that the share of holiday trips had increased by 23,8% compared with the same period in 2021, and that the average spend had increased to 28,6%.

“The biggest driver of domestic travel in the first six months of 2022 was the easing of Covid-19 travel restrictions,” Sisulu said.

US continues to top the charts

In other tourism news, recent data showed that the US was South Africa’s top source market for international travel in 2021, and with the latest figures for June 2022 now available, it’s clear to see that the United States has indeed solidified their top spot.

The latest June figures recorded 28 207 arrivals from the US in June – more than double that of the UK in second place with 12 301 arrivals, says Tourism Update.

According to up-to-date Tourism and Migration Statistics from Stats SA, a total of just over 1.7 million travellers (arrivals, departures and transits), passed through South Africa’s ports of entry or exit during the month of June.

The stats also show that India was South Africa’s third-largest international source market for the month, with 5 568 arrivals, closely followed by Germany with 5 385 arrivals.

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Sundeeka Mungroo

Sundeeka Mungroo is a content writer, foodie and all-round adventure-seeker. She's a graduate of the University of South Africa with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature, and has worked as a copywriter and editor in the digital marketing industry. Sundeeka currently writes for I Love South Africa and The South African. She lives in the beautiful Mother City and loves exploring all that South Africa has to offer.