According to Statistics South Africa and its latest tourism findings, despite concerns over rising anti-foreigner sentiment and its potential impact on South Africa’s image as a tourism destination, the country’s tourism sector continues to show strong growth.
South Africa has in recent months seen an increase in protests by groups calling for action against undocumented migrants, with tensions around immigration raising concerns about the country’s reputation among visitors from the rest of the continent.
However, according to the latest tourism by Stats SA, these concerns have not slowed visitor numbers, with South Africa recording more than 5.5 million international arrivals between January and June 2026.
The figures from Stats SA show that international arrivals increased by 12.3% compared with the same period last year. Growth was mainly driven by visitors from other African countries, while overseas arrivals also recorded an increase.
“In June 2026, South Africa recorded 823 365 international tourists, an increase of 9.8% compared with June 2025. Arrivals from Africa increased by 12.1% year-on-year”, the tourism department said.
The statistics also showed that, for the second consecutive month, the United States remained South Africa’s biggest overseas tourism market. In June 2026, 40,566 American visitors travelled to South Africa to experience the country’s tourism offerings. This came despite ongoing tensions between South Africa and the United States, with relations between the two countries facing challenges in recent months.
Minister of Tourism Patricia de Lille said the growth showed that South Africa’s tourism sector remained resilient and that efforts to diversify tourism products were producing positive results.
“Once again, the deliberate decision to diversify our tourism products is yielding positive results. The sustained growth in both regional and overseas arrivals reflect the resilience of our tourism sector and the effectiveness of the partnerships we have built with industry and our international markets,” de Lille said.
