SA tourism up 5.1%
The number of tourists that visited South Africa has increased by 5.1 percent in the first half of 2013 compared to the same period last year - contributing R35.3 billion to the economy, according to Minister of Tourism Marthinus van Schalkwyk.
“This was on top of the growth of 10.5 percent recorded last year during the same period,” he said in a statement.
According to Van Schalkwyk, the significant gains achieved between 2010 and 2012 following the Fifa 2012 World Cup had been consolidated, resulting in an increase in the tourist arrival baseline to a record high of 4 642 217 international tourist arrivals in the first two quarters of the year.
“Tourism arrivals to South Africa continue to grow in 2013 with growth in arrivals recorded from all regions. Our growth is in line with global averages for the period,” he said.
Van Schalkwyk noted that this growth was achieved despite ever increasing global competition, tough trading conditions in some of the country’s source markets and the fluctuating rand.
According the UN World Tourism Organisation, tourist arrivals from Europe in the first half of 2013 grew by 5.5 percent from 640 231 to 675 595.
Tourist arrivals from Germany increased by 13.8 percent from January to June of 2013, while a positive growth was also noted in arrivals from France and Italy, which increased by 10.8 and 7.1 percent respectively.
However, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, two of South Africa’s traditional source markets, remained under pressure and recorded marginal declines in arrivals of -0.6 and 1.2 percent respectively during this period.
Meanwhile, arrivals from North America rose from 187 703 in 2012 to 194 586 in 2013, while Asian arrivals grew from 186 981 to 210 776.
Arrivals from China grew by 23.9 percent and India by 11 percent during this period.
African arrivals grew by 4.8 percent between January and June, with visitors travelling by land increasing by 4.4 percent and those travelling by air by 11.4 percent.
