For the fourth year running Johannesburg has been tipped to become the most popular destination city in Africa, according to the Mastercard Global Destinations Cities Index.
“The index confirms Johannesburg’s status as a destination that attracts repeat visits due to its continually evolving tourism offering, from popular shopping destinations such as our malls to a wide range of lifestyle, sporting and business events,” said City of Johannesburg Mayor Herman Mashaba on Tuesday.
The city is expected to welcome 3.6 million international overnight visitors in 2016. This is a 6.2% increase on last year’s 3.39 million visitors, according to Mark Elliott, Division President, South Africa, Mastercard.
“Tourism remains an important driver of South Africa’s economy, and the steady rise in visitor numbers indicates how the City of Gold’s fascinating mix of iconic attractions is proving ever more compelling to today’s international traveler,” said Elliott.
Of Johannesburg’s expected international overnight visitors, 373 000 will travel from London in 2016, NAM News Network reported. Harare (294 000), Frankfurt (233 000), Maputo (185 000) and Paris (163 000) round out the list of the top five cities that send visitors to Johannesburg. Only 18% of Johannesburg’s international visitors are from outside the Middle East and Africa region.
Johannesburg also comes out tops in Africa in terms of international visitor expenditure, with travellers expected to spend US$1.73 billion in 2016. Londoners are expected to spend the most (US$285 million), followed by visitors from Paris (US$155 million), Harare (US$106 million), Frankfurt (US$84 million), and Maputo (US$41 million).
The Mastercard Global Destinations Cities Index ranked 13 African cities in the chronological order of top to bottom as Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban, Cairo, Casablanca, Accra, Nairobi, Beira, Dakar, Kampala, Lagos, Maputo and Tunis.
