In the year 2016, over 10 million foreign tourists had arrived in South Africa that represents a 13% increase than the same figures in 2015, as per the ministry of tourism of this country, in its statement on Monday.
The department has mentioned in its official statement that the figures mark quite a decent rise in the tourist arrivals in this period.
It has been estimated that nearly 1.2 billion international globetrotters have travelled all across the world last year and this marks an increase of 3.9% on 2015, according to the tourism department. Statistics South Africa (StatsSA) said that in South Africa, the role of tourism has grown to be increasingly popular. In 2015, the trade balance of tourism with the remaining part of the world was about R36. And, this represents quite a stabilizing force for the national current account.
The department also added that the different travel patterns and the attitude of the various travel markets actually support a wide range of businesses across South Africa.
Derek Hanekom who is the tourism minister had said that the people who have been working diligently between the different government departments, between the Department of Tourism and industry, and also between suppliers and service providers on the ground have paid off really well.
Hanekom further asserted that the regional tourism sector has been capable of capitalizing on their status as a value for money tourist destination and the fact that it offers a large number of experiences for all tourist markets.
In 2016, Lesotho was the fastest growing African source market, as it had recorded a rise of 26% as compared to 2015.
The monthly distribution pattern of African tourist arrivals portrays a peak in March 2016. This is actually on account of the Easter holiday that falls in March last year.
Hanekom said that the strong performance of the tourism sector shows that its resilience and also its enduring capacity to support jobs is a crucial characteristic of the sector and it is quite crucial for South Africa.
He also added that the government should make efforts to nurture the tourism sector and aim to ensure that it is armed with collaborative strategies for sustained growth.
