South Africa hosted over 1 million tourists over December

The latest figures from Statistics South Africa show that the country welcomed nearly one million foreign tourists over the festive season.

And if each tourist spent an average of R50 000… then our economy was injected with over R50 000 000 000. Try saying that out loud while in parliament.

Stats SA released the latest tourism numbers earlier on Monday.

Most of the 965,000 tourists picked South Africa as their holiday destination which is up by 8.1% compared to the same period in 2015.

The data also shows an increase in overseas tourists, with visitors from France showing the biggest hike of 30% year-on-year.

“South Africa’s tourism industry continues to show good growth, and we remain confident in the ongoing performance and sustainability of the sector.” – The Department of Tourism

There were also more tourists from Southern African countries.

Overall, 4.5 million travellers passed through South Africa’s ports of entry in December.

According to Stats SA’s latest figures for tourism receipts and job creation, South Africa’s tourism sector continues to increase its contribution to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) and job creation.

The Department said ongoing growth in all the markets in which South Africa actively markets itself was proof that the country’s marketing strategy was delivering the desired results.

“The reality is that each year our invitation to come and visit South Africa, land of incredible wildlife, diverse experiences and most notably, warm and welcoming people, is being accepted by an ever growing number of people from around the world.”