South Africa welcomed more than a million international tourists in August. That brings the total to more than seven million visitors to SA’s shores this year…so far!
South Africa (02 October 2026) – Table Mountain, the Big Five, a braai and all the vibes! The world knows that South Africa is worth the long journey.
In some cheerful news for Heritage Month, SA’s Department of Tourism has confirmed that South Africa welcomed 1 005 286 international tourists in August 2026, once again passing the one-million mark in a single month. That’s growth of 7.4% compared with August 2025.
Tourism in South Africa has been on a high all year. Between January and August this year, international arrivals reached 7 581 455, an increase of 11.7% on the same period last year!
Who’s all packing their bags for the Rainbow Nation? The report says the United States has remained South Africa’s largest overseas source market with 37 134 tourists in August, followed by the United Kingdom with 25 749 and Germany with 14 731.
These stats build on a strong first half of the year for South Africa’s international visitor count compared to the rest of the continent.
According to UN Tourism, South Africa emerged as the strongest-performing African destination in the first half of 2026, recording 12% growth in international tourist arrivals compared with the same period in 2025.
Our beautiful country also placed among the top 20 best-performing destinations globally among those reporting data for that period!
“Welcoming more than one million international tourists in August demonstrates the demand that exists for South Africa. Our focus must now be on converting that demand into investment, jobs and economic opportunities. We must give visitors more places to go, more experiences to enjoy and more reasons to stay longer, while ensuring that the benefits of tourism reach more communities across our country,” says Minister of Tourism Patricia de Lille.
This South African Tourism Infrastructure Investment Summit took place this week. Members of government, investors and tourism stakeholders all came together to work out how to turn the growing demand into new and expanded tourism products, experiences and infrastructure.
Related Stories
ICA Live Art Festival Returns to Cape Town's Streets, Gardens and Public Spaces
Seven of Africa's Top Eight Universities Are South African!When visitors fall in love with South Africa, the goal is to give them (and our communities) even more reasons to stay!
by 
