Overview
- By mid‑2026 South Africa recorded strong growth with 5,584,473 international tourists in January–June, a 12.3% rise year‑on‑year and 823,365 arrivals in June alone.
- Visitors from SADC countries drove the recovery, with Q2 2026 SADC arrivals at about 2.1 million, 17% higher than Q2 2019 and led by large flows from Mozambique and Zimbabwe.
- Overseas arrivals remain below pre‑pandemic volumes, with Q2 2026 overseas visitors about 8% fewer than Q2 2019 despite modest year‑on‑year gains for overseas markets overall.
- Tourism income and the average revenue per unit night exceeded May 2019 levels, with accommodation income rising to R5.8 billion and unit revenue increasing to R1,681.40 while occupancy stayed lower.
- Monthly source‑market swings are appearing: June saw sharp drops from Nigeria and Ghana though their year‑to‑date totals rose, and the United States was the top overseas market in June; government plans to boost air links, diversify products, and expand joint marketing aim to turn regional strength into broader growth.