Cape Town – South Africa’s warm, welcoming spirit is helping drive tourism arrivals in South Africa, President Jacob Zuma said today.
Foreign arrivals to the country have increased by 15.1% between 2011 and last year – well above the global increase in foreign arrivals of four percent.
“It is because South Africans treat visitors warmly and hospitably that we see such positive results,” said Zuma, addressing media at Baia restaurant at the V&A Waterfront, a popular tourist attraction.
Zuma pointed out that the number of arrivals in South Africa had grown by over 300% between 1994 and 2012 – from 3.4 million to 13.5 million, of which 9.2 million were tourists.
“We have done exceptionally well since the democratic transition in 1994. We have a story to tell, a good story, a positive story to tell and a beautiful country to show off to the world, a beautiful country to be proud of, to invite friends to come and visit,” said an upbeat Zuma.
He noted that some of the biggest increases in tourist arrivals had come from Brics countries.
Since 2009, tourist arrivals from China had tripled, while those from Brazil (ranked ninth for overseas arrivals) had doubled and those from India (ranked fourth) had come close to doubling.
Chinese tourist arrivals shot up 56%, from just under 84 900 to over 132 300, while the number of Brazilian tourist arrivals increased by 45%, from 54 100 to 78 100.
Tourist arrivals from India also climbed by 18%, from 90 400 to 106 800, while those from Russia increased by 27%, from 10 500 to 13 300.
Though foreign tourists spent R76.4 billion in South Africa last year, up 7.6% over 2011, the total spend per tourist declined by 2.3% on the back of decreases in spending per tourist from the rest of Africa.
The average length of stay fell from 8.5 nights in 2011 to 7.6 nights last year, which Zuma pointed out was a global trend driven by the economic downturn globally, which affected the country’s competitors as well.
Despite this, Zuma also pointed out that the direct contribution of tourism to the country’s GDP climbed by five percent to R84.3 billion in 2011.
The number of those directly employed in the sector rose by 4.3% to 4.5% between 2010 and 2011, with the addition of 31 000 direct jobs to increase direct employment to 598 432 in 2011.
Zuma said tourism had been identified in the National Development Plan (NDP) as one of six growth sectors alongside mining, manufacturing, green economy, agriculture and infrastructure development.
He said the country’s tourism strategy aims to see tourism contributing over R500 billion to gross domestic product (GDP) by 2020.
The plan also aims to get South Africa to grow its share of the over one billion arrivals of foreign arrivals and increase the number of domestic tourists.
Tourism Minister Marthinus Van Schalkwyk said his department had received substantial support from the President, who in 2009 had shifted the tourism function into a separate ministry, hiving it off from the Department of Environmental Affairs.
Van Schalkwyk also added that SA Tourism was one of the most well run agencies, with 11 clean audits.
Of the 9.2 million tourists, just under six million came from neighbouring African countries, with just under 1.4 million from Europe, 664 00 from the rest of Africa, 398 00 from Asia and 393 000 from North America.
Outside the African continent, UK tourists topped arrivals, with 438 000 (up four percent over 2011), followed by the US with 326 600 (up 14%), Germany with 266 300 (up 13%), China, France with 122 200 (up 16%), Australia with 120 300 (up 16%) and the Netherlands with 117 900 (up four percent).
In the African continent, neighbouring Zimbabwe topped arrivals with 1.8 million arrivals in 2012 (up 19%), Lesotho with 1.6 million (up six percent), Mozambique with 1.1 million arrivals (up three percent) and Swaziland with 768 700 arrivals (up 10%).
Apart from the increases in tourist arrivals from Brics countries, other significant increases were: the Phillipines up 76% (from 9 200 to 16 200); Turkey up 30% (from 10 300 to 13 500); Tanzania up 25% (from 28 600 to 35 900) and Canada with 66 800 (up 16%). – SAnews.gov.za
