U.S. Tourism Up 18 Percent To South Africa, Driven By Weak Rand
Travelers from all over the world took advantage of the weak rand in the first five months of 2015, choosing South Africa as a great value-for-money destination, BizCommunity reported.
Tourism from overseas markets to South Africa grew by 18.5 percent from January to May, compared to the same period in 2015, according to the latest release from Statistics SA.
All South Africa’s major overseas markets are performing well, said Derek Hanekom, minister of tourism. Traditional overseas markets including the U.S. have grown by 18 percent in 2016. Tourism from the U.K., South Africa’s leading overseas market, has grown by 13.7 percent. Germany was a top performer with 21 percent growth in tourism.
“The continuing growth in international tourist arrivals is wonderful news for the tourism sector,” Hanekom said. “It will have a multiplier effect on the many industries that support tourism, so it’s good news for the wider economy as well.”
South Africa isn’t the only country experiencing robust growth in international tourist arrivals.
Africa overall is up 7 percent, international tourist arrivals in Sub-Saharan Africa are up 13 percent, while in North Africa is down 8 percent, Hotel News Resource reported.
