South Africa's tourism sector shows resilience with nearly 1 million international arrivals in April 2026.
South Africa recorded 989 329 international tourist arrivals in April 2026, marking the country’s strongest monthly year-on-year tourism growth so far this year despite ongoing global aviation disruptions linked to conflict in the Middle East.
Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille on Wednesday welcomed the sharp increase in visitor numbers, with the latest Statistics South Africa International Tourism Report showing arrivals surged by 19.5% compared to April 2025.
The April figures pushed total international arrivals for the first four months of 2026 to 3 899 358, an increase of 14.1% compared to the same period last year. This translates to an additional 482 935 international arrivals between January and April.
“This is our highest monthly year-on-year increase since the start of the year,” said De Lille.
