The country’s tourism sector continues to show strong growth.
Despite concerns over rising anti-foreigner sentiment and its potential impact on South Africa’s image as a tourism destination, the country’s tourism sector continues to show strong growth.
South Africa has in recent months seen an increase in protests by groups calling for action against undocumented migrants, with tensions around immigration raising concerns about the country’s reputation among visitors from the rest of the continent.
However, according to the latest tourism by Stats SA, these concerns have not slowed visitor numbers, with South Africa recording more than 5.5 million international arrivals between January and June 2026.
The figures from Stats SA show that international arrivals increased by 12.3% compared with the same period last year. Growth was mainly driven by visitors from other African countries, while overseas arrivals also recorded an increase.
