text:
Tourism in South Africa
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Table Mountain seen from the other side of Table Bay at sunset
South Africa is a tourist destination and the industry accounts for a substantial amount of the country's revenue. According to the World Travel & Tourism Council, the tourism industry directly contributed ZAR 102 billion to South African GDP in 2012, and supports 10.3% of jobs in the country.[1]
South Africa offers both domestic and international tourists a wide variety of options, among others the picturesque natural landscape and game reserves, diverse cultural heritage and highly regarded wines. Some of the most popular destinations include several national parks, such as the expansive Kruger National Park in the north of the country, the coastlines and beaches of the KwaZulu-Natal and Western Cape provinces, and the major cities like Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban.
According to Statistics South Africa's latest Tourism and Migration Survey, almost 3,5 million travellers passed through the country's ports of entry in August 2017[2]. The top five overseas countries with the largest number of tourists visiting South Africa were the USA, UK, Germany, the Netherlands and France. Most of the tourists arriving in South Africa from elsewhere in Africa came from SADC countries. Zimbabwe tops the list at 31%, followed by Lesotho, Mozambique, Swaziland and Botswana. In addition, Nigeria was the country of origin for nearly 30% of tourists arriving in South Africa.[3]
Contents
1 Attractions
1.1 Biodiversity and ecotourism
1.1.1 Ecotourism
1.2 Cultural attractions
1.3 UNESCO World Heritage Sites
2 Visa policy
3 Statistics
3.1 Foreign arrivals by year
3.2 Tourist arrivals by country
4 References
5 External links
Attractions[edit]
Biodiversity and ecotourism[edit]
Main article: South African National Parks
Elephant family at an artificial waterhole in the Kruger National Park
South Africa is ranked sixth out of the world's seventeen megadiverse countries[4] and is home to a large variety of animal life. Among the large mammals found in the northern bushveld include lions, leopards, cheetahs, white rhinoceroses, blue wildebeest, kudus, impalas, hyenas, hippopotamuses and giraffes. A significant extent of the bushveld exists in the north-east, including the Kruger National Park, one of the largest game reserves in Africa, and the Sabi Sand Game Reserve. The Kruger National Park, established in 1926, is one of the most visited national parks in the country, with a total of 1 659 793 visitors in the 2014/15 period.[5]
The country is also particularly rich in plant diversity, with a wide variety of biomes found across the country. These include the grasslands in the Highveld, the succulent Karoo in central South Africa, and the endemic fynbos biome, constituting the majority of the area and plant life in the Cape floristic region of the Western Cape. This rare vegetation is protected as part of the Table Mountain National Park (which also includes the iconic flat-topped Table Mountain), which was the most-visited national park in South Africa in 2014/15, with a total of 2 677 767 visitors.[5]
Ecotourism[edit]
A vineyard in Franschhoek, Western Cape
Main article: Ecotourism in South Africa
It is difficult to know if there is regulation of the term 'ecotourism' as well as what a foundation/association/company needs to do to fall into the category of 'eco-travel'. However, there is a non-profit association that represents the private sector of the "incoming tourism industry in South Africa" (which is a large group) called the South African Tourism Services Association (SATSA), they are "dedicated to providing and maintaining the highest possible standards in the tourism industry within South Africa." (SATSA, 2007) SATSA is focused on the accountability, integrity, and quality control of the tourism industry in South Africa as well as with the companies and associations they are connected to. In addition to SATSA, the website responsibletravel.com partnered with The Metro, World Travel Market and Travel Trade Gazette Magazine have established the World Responsible Tourism Awards. The goal of the award is to "recognize individuals, companies and organizations in the travel industry that are making a significant commitment to the culture and economies of local communities and are providing a positive contribution to biodiversity conservation." (www.worldresponsibletourismawards.com, 2001)
Cultural attractions[edit]
In addition to its numerous natural attractions, South Africa also boasts numerous attractions of cultural significance. These include the fossil-bearing caves forming part of the Cradle of Humankind in Gauteng, the ruins of the Kingdom of Mapungubwe in northern Limpopo, the wine routes of the Western Cape, and various historical sites in the cities of Cape Town and Johannesburg (such as Robben Island, the Castle of Good Hope and Soweto township).
UNESCO World Heritage Sites[edit]
Main article: List of World Heritage Sites in South Africa
Eight South African sites are inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, including the iSimangaliso Wetland Park and uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park in KwaZulu-Natal.
Cradle of Humankind
Mapungubwe Cultural Landscape
Richtersveld Cultural and Botanical Landscape
Robben Island
Cape Floral Region Protected Areas
iSimangaliso Wetland Park
Vredefort Dome
uKhahlamba / Drakensberg Park
Location of World Heritage Sites within South Africa.[6]
Visa policy[edit]
South Africa
Visa-free access to South Africa for 90 days
Visa-free access to South Africa for 30 days
Visa-free access to South Africa for diplomatic, official and service passports
Visa required to enter South Africa and for landside/airside transit
Visitors to South Africa must obtain a visa from one of the South African diplomatic missions unless they come from one of the visa exempt countries, in which case they get what is called a "Port of Entry Visa". Visitors who require a visa must apply in person and provide biometric data.[7]
Statistics[edit]
The OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg is one of the main ports of entry into the country
In 2014, a total of 9 549 236 tourists (overnight visitors) entered South Africa, indicating an increase of 0,1% from the 9 536 568 tourists recorded in 2013. The highest number of arrivals was recorded in January of that year, while the lowest number was recorded in June. A vast majority (76,2%) of tourists arriving in the country were residents of SADC countries, 1.9% were from 'other' African countries and 23.6% were residents of countries overseas.
Foreign arrivals by year[edit]
Foreign traveller arrivals (2000-2015)[8]
Year
Foreign arrivals
(in thousands)
Year
Foreign Arrivals
(in thousands)
2000 6 001 000 2008 9 729 000
2001 5 908 000 2009 10 098 000
2002 6 550 000 2010 11 575 000
2003 6 640 000 2011 12 496 000
2004 6 815 000 2012 13 796 000
2005 7 518 000 2013 15 155 000
2006 8 509 000 2014 15 092 000
2007 9 208 000 2015 15 052 000
Tourist arrivals by country[edit]
Tourist arrivals of Top 10 SADC countries[9]
Tourist arrivals of Top 10 overseas countries[9]
Ranking
Country
of origin
Visitor arrivals
2015
% Total
arrivals
Ranking
Country
of origin
Visitor arrivals
2015
% Total
arrivals
1 Zimbabwe 1 900 791 28.9 1 United Kingdom 407 486 19.0
2 Lesotho 1 394 913 21.2 2 United States 297 226 13.9
3 Mozambique 1 200 335 18.3 3 Germany 256 646 12.0
4 Swaziland 838 006 12.7 4 France 128 438 6.0
5 Botswana 593 514 9.0 5 Netherlands 121 883 5.7
6 Namibia 212 514 3.2 6 Australia 99 205 4.6
7 Zambia 161 259 2.5 7 China 84 691 3.9
8 Malawi 135 260 2.1 8 India 78 385 3.7
9 Angola 48 416 0.7 9 Canada 56 224 2.6
10 Tanzania 35 817 0.5 10 Italy 52 377 2.4
References[edit]
Jump up ^ "Travel & Tourism Economic Impact 2013 South Africa" (PDF). WTTC. March 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 March 2014. Retrieved 20 November 2013.
Jump up ^ "Tourism and Migration, August 2017". Statistics South Africa. 25 October 2017. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
Jump up ^ "3,5 million travellers to South Africa". Statistics South Africa. 25 October 2017. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
Jump up ^ "Biodiversity of the world by countries". Institutoaqualung.com.br. Archived from the original on 2010-11-01. Retrieved 30 May 2010.
^ Jump up to: a b "SANParks Annual Report - 2014/15" (PDF).
Jump up ^ "South Africa - Properties inscribed on the World Heritage List". UNESCO. Retrieved 2 June 2011.
Jump up ^ New visa rules will hurt tourism: DA
Jump up ^ Tourism 2015. statssa.gov.za (4 April 2016)
^ Jump up to: a b "Statistics SA: Tourism 2015" (PDF).
External links[edit]
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for South Africa.
Official Tourism Website
South African National Department of Tourism
show
v
t
e
Economy of South Africa
By province
Western Cape
Gauteng
Natural resources
Mining industry
Coal
Agriculture
Whaling
Industry
Automotive industry
Services
Banks
Gambling
Tourism
Ecotourism
LGBT tourism
Telecommunications
Nuclear power
Power stations
Economic history
Mineral Revolution
Witwatersrand Gold Rush
Great Depression
Disinvestment
Affirmative action
Black Economic Empowerment
Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment
Qualifying Small Enterprises
Scorecard
Exempted Micro Enterprises
Macroeconomics
National Treasury
Taxation
South African rand
Reserve Bank
Consumer price index
Provinces by HDI
Misc.
Trade unions
Corruption
Companies
JSE Limited
Traded companies
Krugerrand
show
v
t
e
South Africa articles
History
Timeline (nl)
Years
Early history
Cape Colony
Orange Free State
Transvaal
First Boer War
Second Boer War
Great Depression
World War II
Apartheid
Border War
Since 1994
By topic
Economy
Military
Geography
Districts
Earthquakes
Estuaries
Forests
Islands
Lakes
Mountain ranges
Municipalities
National parks
Populated places
Provinces
Rivers
Wildlife
Politics
Constitution
Courts
Elections
Foreign relations
Government
Human rights
Law
Parliament
Political parties
President
State security
and intelligence
Minister
Co-ordinating committee (NICC)
Intelligence agency (NIA)
Communications centre (NCC)
Communications security (COMSEC)
Secret Service (SASS)
Intelligence academy (SANAI)
Law enforcement
Department of Police
Police Service
Criminal intelligence (SAPS)
Special Task Force
National Intervention Unit
NFDD
Municipal Police
Independent Complaints Directorate
Department of Correctional Services
Biometrics use
Military
Department of Defence
Defence Force
Air Force
Army
Navy
Military Health Service
Special Forces
Commando System
Intelligence
Economy
Agriculture
Communications
Economic history
Energy
Foreign trade
Mining industry
Rand (currency)
Stock exchange
Taxation
Tourism
Trade unions
Transportation
Water and sanitation
Society
Crime
Education
Feminism
Health
Healthcare
Immigration
Intersex
Languages
LGBT
Racism
Religion
Sexual violence
Social movements
Xenophobia
Culture
Architecture
Art
Cinema
Cuisine
Flag
HIV/AIDS
Homelessness
Literature
Media
Music
Public holidays
Sports
Demographics
Asian
Indian
Chinese
Bantu
Ndebele
Pedi
Sotho
Swazi
Tsonga
Tswana
Venda
Xhosa
Zulu
Coloured
Cape Coloured
Cape Malay
Griqua
Khoisan
White
Afrikaner
British
Outline
Index
Category
Portal
show
v
t
e
Tourism in Africa
Sovereign states
Algeria
Angola
Benin
Botswana
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Cameroon
Cape Verde (Cabo Verde)
Central African Republic
Chad
Comoros
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Republic of the Congo
Djibouti
Egypt
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
Ethiopia
Gabon
The Gambia
Ghana
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Ivory Coast (Côte d'Ivoire)
Kenya
Lesotho
Liberia
Libya
Madagascar
Malawi
Mali
Mauritania
Mauritius
Morocco
Mozambique
Namibia
Niger
Nigeria
Rwanda
São Tomé and Príncipe
Senegal
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
Somalia
South Africa
South Sudan
Sudan
Swaziland
Tanzania
Togo
Tunisia
Uganda
Zambia
Zimbabwe
States with limited
recognition
Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic
Somaliland
Dependencies and
other territories
Canary Islands / Ceuta / Melilla (Spain)
Madeira (Portugal)
Mayotte / Réunion (France)
Saint Helena / Ascension Island / Tristan da Cunha (United Kingdom)
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tourism_in_South_Africa&oldid=854108153"
Categories:
Tourism in South Africa
Tourism in Africa
Hidden categories:
Interlanguage link template link number
Navigation menu
Personal tools
Not logged in
Talk
Contributions
Create account
Log in
Namespaces
Article
Talk
Variants
Views
Read
Edit
View history
More
Search
Navigation
Main page
Contents
Featured content
Current events
Random article
Donate to Wikipedia
Wikipedia store
Interaction
Help
About Wikipedia
Community portal
Recent changes
Contact page
Tools
What links here
Related changes
Upload file
Special pages
Permanent link
Page information
Wikidata item
Cite this page
Print/export
Create a book
Download as PDF
Printable version
In other projects
Wikimedia Commons
Languages
Add links
This page was last edited on 9 August 2018, at 00:59 (UTC).
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.
Privacy policy
About Wikipedia
Disclaimers
Contact Wikipedia
Developers
Cookie statement
Mobile view
Enable previews

values: mw-page-base noprint

values: mw-head-base noprint

values: firstHeading firstHeading en

values: siteSub noprint

values: mw-jump-link #mw-head

values: mw-jump-link #p-search

attrs: href class title

values:
/wiki/Tourist_destination
mw-redirect
Tourist destination

values: /wiki/GDP mw-redirect GDP

value: sup

value: p

values: /wiki/SANParks mw-redirect SANParks

values: checkbox button toctogglecheckbox toctogglecheckbox display:none

values: Edit section: Biodiversity and ecotourism

values:
/wiki/Cape_floristic_region
mw-redirect
Cape floristic region

values:
nofollow
http://www.satsa.co.za/
external text

values: Edit section: UNESCO World Heritage Sites

values: List of World Heritage Sites in South Africa

values:
/wiki/UNESCO_World_Heritage_List
mw-redirect
UNESCO World Heritage List

values:
/wiki/UKhahlamba_Drakensberg_Park
mw-redirect
UKhahlamba Drakensberg Park

values: Tourism in South Africa is located in South Africa

attrs: alt src title width height srcset data-file-width data-file-height

values:
/wiki/Mapungubwe_Cultural_Landscape
mw-redirect
Mapungubwe Cultural Landscape

values: Richtersveld Cultural and Botanical Landscape

values:
/wiki/Vredefort_Dome
mw-redirect
Vredefort Dome

values:
/wiki/UKhahlamba_/_Drakensberg_Park
mw-redirect
UKhahlamba / Drakensberg Park

values: display:inline-block; width:1.5em; height:1.5em; margin:1px 0; border:1px solid black; background-color: #00a2e8; color:black; font-size:100%; text-align:center;

values: -webkit-column-break-inside: avoid;page-break-inside: avoid;break-inside: avoid-column

values: display:inline-block; width:1.5em; height:1.5em; margin:1px 0; border:1px solid black; background-color: #22b14c; color:black; font-size:100%; text-align:center;

values: display:inline-block; width:1.5em; height:1.5em; margin:1px 0; border:1px solid black; background-color: #ffc90e; color:black; font-size:100%; text-align:center;

values: display:inline-block; width:1.5em; height:1.5em; margin:1px 0; border:1px solid black; background-color: #b97a57; color:black; font-size:100%; text-align:center;

values: display:inline-block; width:1.5em; height:1.5em; margin:1px 0; border:1px solid black; background-color: #ed1c24; color:black; font-size:100%; text-align:center;

values:
/wiki/Visa_(document)
mw-redirect
Visa (document)

values: List of diplomatic missions of South Africa

values:
/wiki/OR_Tambo_International_Airport
mw-redirect
OR Tambo International Airport

values: Edit section: Tourist arrivals by country

values:
nofollow
external text
http://www.statssa.gov.za/?p=10637

values:
reflist mw-references-wrap
list-style-type: decimal;

values:
nofollow
http://www.southafrica.net/
external text

values:
/wiki/File:Flag_of_South_Africa.svg
image
Flag of South Africa

values:
navbox-image
8
width:1px;padding:0px 0px 0px 2px

values: South African Nuclear Energy Corporation

values: List of South African provinces by Human Development Index

values: nowraplinks collapsible autocollapse navbox-inner mw-collapsible mw-made-collapsible mw-collapsed

values: Timeline of South Africa (page does not exist)

values: nl:Tijdlijn van de geschiedenis van Zuid-Afrika

values:
noprint
font-size:85%; font-style: normal;

values: Military history of South Africa during World War II

values: List of populated places in South Africa

values: List of political parties in South Africa

values: Minister of State Security (South Africa)

values: National Intelligence Co-ordinating Committee

values: National Intelligence Agency (South Africa)

values: South African National Academy of Intelligence

values:
/wiki/Crime_Intelligence_(SAPS)
mw-redirect
Crime Intelligence (SAPS)

values: South African Police Service Special Task Force

values: National Forensic DNA Database of South Africa

values: Department of Correctional Services (South Africa)

values: Biometrics use by the South African government

values:
/wiki/Military_of_South_Africa
mw-redirect
Military of South Africa

values:
/wiki/South_African_Commando_System
mw-redirect
South African Commando System

values: South African National Defence Force Intelligence Division

values: Water supply and sanitation in South Africa

values: List of social movements in South Africa

values:
/wiki/Architecture_of_South_Africa
mw-redirect
Architecture of South Africa

values:
/wiki/Media_in_South_Africa
mw-redirect
Media in South Africa

values:
/wiki/Asian_South_African
mw-redirect
Asian South African

values:
/wiki/Indian_South_African
mw-redirect
Indian South African

values:
/wiki/Chinese_South_African
mw-redirect
Chinese South African

values:
/wiki/South_Ndebele_people
mw-redirect
South Ndebele people

values:
/wiki/Sotho_people
mw-redirect
Sotho people

values:
/wiki/Cape_Coloured
mw-redirect
Cape Coloured

values:
/wiki/White_South_African
mw-redirect
White South African

values: nowraplinks hlist collapsible collapsed navbox-inner mw-collapsible mw-collapsed mw-made-collapsible

values: Tourism in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

values: Tourism in the Republic of the Congo (page does not exist)

values:
/wiki/Tourism_in_Guinea
mw-redirect
Tourism in Guinea

values: Tourism in Guinea-Bissau (page does not exist)

values: Tourism in São Tomé and Príncipe (page does not exist)

values:
/wiki/Tourism_in_Sudan
mw-redirect
Tourism in Sudan

values: Tourism in the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (page does not exist)

values: Tourism in Melilla (page does not exist)

values:
/wiki/Tourism_in_Madeira
mw-redirect
Tourism in Madeira

values: Tourism in Mayotte (page does not exist)

values: Tourism in Saint Helena (page does not exist)

values:
/wiki/Tourism_in_Ascension_Island
mw-redirect
Tourism in Ascension Island

values: Tourism in Tristan da Cunha (page does not exist)

values: Category:Interlanguage link template link number

values: Discussion about edits from this IP address [ctrl-alt-n]

values: A list of edits made from this IP address [ctrl-alt-y]

values: You are encouraged to create an account and log in; however, it is not mandatory

values: You're encouraged to log in; however, it's not mandatory. [ctrl-alt-o]

values:
/wiki/Tourism_in_South_Africa
View the content page [ctrl-alt-c]
c

values: Discussion about the content page [ctrl-alt-t]

values: p-namespaces navigation vectorTabs p-namespaces-label

values:
p-variants
navigation
vectorMenu emptyPortlet
p-variants-label

values: Past revisions of this page [ctrl-alt-h]

values: p-views navigation vectorTabs p-views-label

values:
p-cactions
navigation
vectorMenu emptyPortlet
p-cactions-label

values:
/wiki/Wikipedia:File_Upload_Wizard
Upload files [ctrl-alt-u]
u

values: A list of all special pages [ctrl-alt-q]

values: Permanent link to this revision of the page

values: Link to connected data repository item [ctrl-alt-g]

values: Printable version of this page [ctrl-alt-p]

values: portal navigation p-wikibase-otherprojects p-wikibase-otherprojects-label

values: mediawiki ltr sitedir-ltr mw-hide-empty-elt ns-0 ns-subject page-Tourism_in_South_Africa rootpage-Tourism_in_South_Africa skin-vector action-view