Despite a significant post-pandemic recovery, South Africa’s international tourism sector remains 12,8% below 2019 levels, highlighting the country’s slow path to full recovery. However, according to the Tourism, 2024 report released by Statistics South Africa (Stats SA), South Africa remained a top destination in 2024, with a total of 8,9 million tourists arriving in the country—up 5,1% from the previous year—but still falling short of the 10,2 million tourists recorded before COVID-19 disrupted global travel.

A traveller is anyone who moves from one place to another, whether for work, leisure, family visits, or other reasons. A tourist, however, is a traveller who stays at least one night at their destination in a hotel or other accommodation, usually for sightseeing or vacation, and not for work. In short, all tourists are travellers, but not all travellers are tourists. Given these distinctions, tracking traveller movements provides insight into broader travel trends.

In 2024, around 30,8 million travellers were recorded, a 23,7% drop from the 40,4 million in 2015. Arrivals reached 16,1 million, departures totalled 14,3 million, and transits stood at 469 000—significantly lower than the 20,5 million arrivals, 19,1 million departures, and 824 000 transits recorded in 2015. The number of travellers rose steadily from 2015 to 2018, dipped slightly in 2019, then saw sharp declines in 2020 and 2021. A strong rebound followed from 2021 to 2023, but 2024 saw a 0,8% decline. While arrivals remained steady, departures fell by 2,2%, and transits increased by 15,2% compared to the previous year.

South Africa Sees Strong Tourist Numbers in 2024: A Regional Breakdown

A closer look at the regional trends reveals that the vast majority of tourists —74,0%—hailed from SADC (Southern African Development Community) nations, while 1,9% came from other African countries. Altogether, African travellers made up 75,9% of the total tourists from the continent. Meanwhile, tourists from overseas accounted for 24,0% of arrivals, highlighting South Africa’s enduring appeal to global travellers.

How Long Did Tourists Stay?

Among the 5,25 million tourists who both arrived and departed in 2024, travel patterns varied widely by region. Overseas tourists tended to stay longer, with 33,9% spending between 8 and 14 days in the country, 23,6% staying for 4 to 7 days, and 12,6% extending their visits to between 15 and 21 days.

By contrast, most of the SADC travellers (20,0%) made short visits of just two to three days, while nearly 40% of tourists from ‘other’ African countries preferred to stay between 4 and 7 days.

The Average Stay: Who Lingered the Longest?

On average, tourists spent 65 days in South Africa over the course of the year. However, the length of stay varied significantly across regions. Visitors from SADC countries stayed the longest, averaging 32 days, while tourists from overseas and other African nations typically stayed between 14 and 19 days.

Breaking the numbers down further, 5,25 million tourists completed their visits in 2024, accounting for 58,9% of all arrivals. Overseas tourists had the highest proportion of completed visits at 84,9%, followed by travellers from ‘other’ African countries (79,3%) and SADC nations (50,0%).

Why Were Tourists Visiting?

South Africa’s reputation as a prime holiday destination remained strong, with 96,9% of visitors—8,64 million tourists—arriving for leisure. Business travel made up 2,7% of visits (239 617 tourists), while smaller numbers came for study (36 258, or 0,4%) and medical treatment (3 049, less than 0,1%).

The purpose of travel also showed distinct regional variations. Among travellers from ‘other’ African countries, business visits were notably higher, making up 5,0% (8 411 tourists) compared to just 3,0% (196 375 tourists) from SADC countries and 1,6% (34 092 tourists) from overseas. Meanwhile, a significant proportion of students from ‘other’ African countries—3,1% (5 152 tourists)—came to South Africa for education, compared to 0,3% (22 142 tourists) from SADC nations and 0,4% (8 958 tourists) from overseas.

Medical tourism was the least common reason for visiting. SADC countries recorded 1 957 medical tourists (less than 0,1%), followed by overseas countries with 628 (less than 0,1%), and ‘other’ African countries with 447 (0,3%).

The Bigger Picture

South Africa’s tourism industry showcased impressive resilience in 2024, attracting 8,9 million tourists and highlighting the country’s enduring appeal. The diverse travel patterns, regional variations, and strong preference for holiday visits provide valuable insights into the evolving tourism landscape. As the industry moves forward, leveraging these trends will be key to enhancing visitor experiences and driving sustainable growth.

For more information, download the Tourism, 2024 report here.