Statistics on Tourists

Statistics on tourists, December 2013 – Media Release

Media Release 15 April 2014
Tourists visiting South Africa reached a record high of nearly one million in
December 2013 alone
A total of 937 792 tourists visited South Africa during December 2013, making it the highest ever
recorded number of tourists in the country in any one month. This was an increase of 7,6% from the
871 774 tourists recorded in December 2012. Month-to-month comparison indicates that tourists
increased by 12,3% between November 2013 and December 2013. Generally, December attracts
more tourists than any other month in South Africa.
This is according to the statistics on tourism published by Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) on 15
April 2014. The statistics are derived from data routinely collected by immigration officers of the
Department of Home Affairs (DHA) at all road, air and sea entry/exit ports on all foreign travellers
arriving into or departing from South Africa. This information is captured into the DHA’s population
Movement Control System from which data are extracted to provide statistics on tourists and other
travellers.
The distribution of tourists by region of residence showed that over two-thirds of all tourists came
from the SADC region, followed by those from the overseas region at 28% and about 2% from other
countries in Africa. The number of tourists from ‘other African’ countries increased at a much higher
rate of 11,9% between December 2012 and December 2013 compared to tourists from overseas
(increased by 8,2%) and SADC (increased by 6,6%). The main purpose of visit for tourists that came
in December 2013 was for holidays. A relatively higher proportion of those from North Africa, Asia
and Middle East came to South Africa for business.
From SADC countries, the main contributors of December 2013 tourists were those from Zimbabwe,
Lesotho and Mozambique who combined contributed nearly two-thirds of tourists from the SADC
region. Overseas tourists were mainly from United Kingdom, United States of America and Germany
while tourists from ‘other African’ countries were largely from Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana and Uganda.
Over time, there has been a general increase in the number of tourists visiting the country every
year. In 2013, nearly 10 million (9 531 426) tourists were recorded in the country. This was an
increase on 3,7% from the 9 188 368 tourists recorded in 2012.
The full reports are available on the Statistics South Africa website: www.statssa.gov.za
Issued by:
Ms Kefiloe Masiteng
Deputy Director General: Population & Social Statistics
Tel: 012 310 4663
Email: [email protected]

Enquiries:
Mr. Trevor Oosterwyk
Executive Manager: Communications
Tel: 012 310 8130
Cell: 082 908 9104
Email: [email protected]

Dr. Maletela Tuoane-Nkhasi
Executive Manager: Health and Vital Statistics
Tel: 012 310 8317
Cell: 082 804 6895
Email: [email protected]
Posted on April 15, 2014 Facebook Twitter Linkedin