IMPROVING LIVES THROUGH DATA ECOSYSTEMS

In December 2016, 4 542 548 travellers (arrivals, departures and transits) passed through South Africa’s ports of entry. They were made up of 1 333 870 South African residents and 3 208 678 foreign travellers.

Foreign arrivals, 1 554 048 were made up of 81 590 non-visitors and 1 472 458 visitors.

The visitors were broken down as follows:

• 507 351 who arrived and departed on the same day, and
• 965 107 who stayed overnight (tourists).

Tourists increased by 8,1% from 892 720 in December 2015.
They were constituted as follows:

• Overseas tourists (259 724), who increased by 10,7% from 234 523 in December 2015.
• The highest increase, 30,4% was for tourists from France (from 10 700 in December 2015 to 13 952 in December 2016), followed by The Netherlands, 16,9% (from 12 823 in December 2015 to 14 986 in December 2016) and Germany, 15,3% (from 27 404 in December 2015 to 31 603 in December 2016).
• Tourists from SADC (688 599), who increased by 7,1% from 642 721 in December 2015.
  o The highest increase, 26,5% was for tourists from Malawi (from 11 209 in December 2015 to 14 180 in December 2016), followed by Lesotho, 19,7% (from 113 592 in December 2015 to 135 921 in December 2016).
• Tourists from ‘other’ African countries (15 698), who increased by 7,8% from 14 566 in December  2015.
  o The highest increase, 34,2% was for tourists from Kenya (from 2 304 in December 2015 to 3 091 in December 2016, followed by Senegal, 28,4% (from 141 in December 2015 to 181 in December 2016).
• 1 086 tourists, whose country of origin were unspecified.

About two thirds, 661 434 (68,5%) of tourists used road transport and about a third, 303 187 (31,4%) used air transport, while a much smaller number, 486 (0,1%) used sea transport.
The majority of tourists, 948 401 (98,3%) were on holiday compared to 13 786 (1,4%) and 2 920 (0,3%) who came for business and for study purposes respectively. Tourists were made up of 506 631 (52,5%) males and 458 476 (47,5%) females.