South Africa's tourism industry
South Africa's scenic beauty, magnificent outdoors, sunny climate, cultural diversity and reputation for delivering value for money have made it one of the world's fastest growing leisure - and business - travel destinations.The country is highly diverse in terms of its climate, culture, tourist activities and infrastructure, catering for every tourism niche, from business, eco- and cultural tourism through to adventure, sport and paleo-tourism.
GrowthInternational travel to South Africa has surged since the end of apartheid. In 1994, the year of South Africa's first democratic elections, only 3.9-million foreign visitors arrived in the country.
By 2004, international arrivals had more than doubled to 6.7-million. And in 2007 a total of 9.07-million foreigners visited South Africa - an 8.3% increase over 2006 - as the country broke its annual tourist arrivals record for the third year running.
International tourist arrivals (in millions)
(Data source: Department of Tourism)
Tourism is also one of the fastest growing sectors of South Africa's economy, its contribution to the country's gross domestic product (GDP) increasing from 4.6% back in 1993 to 8.3% in 2006.
Directly and indirectly, tourism
constitutes approximately 7% of employment in South Africa. Ideally placed to create new jobs and to add value to the country's many natural and cultural resources, tourism has been earmarked by the government as one of SA's growth sectors.
This makes the outlook for the industry extremely positive, particularly with the exposure the country will receive in the lead-up to the world's biggest sporting event, the Fifa World Cup, taking place in South Africa in 2010 - and the accompanying massive upgrades to transport and accommodation infrastructure.
Business tourism
South Africa is also increasingly targeting business travellers, who spend on average three times more than their leisure counterparts while crossing over significantly into leisure travel themselves, through tours before or after their business activities and through return trips in subsequent years.
With its first-world infrastructure, balmy climate and breathtaking scenery - not to mention acres of golf courses - South Africa is an ideal location for international congresses and conventions.
The country has well over 1 000 world-class conference and exhibition venues, ranging from intimate bush hideaways to large-scale, hi-tech convention centres. All of these offer a wealth of leisure activities, side-tours and events: from walking with elephants to first-hand experiences of African culture to luxury shopping and relaxation.
An estimated 6-7% of South Africa's foreign visitors in 2007 were business tourists, translating to about 550 000 business tourists compared to 470 000 in 2006. Total foreign direct spend by business tourists in the country amounted to R2.4-billion in 2006, up from approximately R2.1-billion in 2005.
South Africa's conference industry moved up to 31st place in the International Congress and Convention Association's lastest top-40 list of leading destinations in the world, released in May 2007.
And in the 2007 M&IT Trends & Spends Survey of readers of the influential Meetings and Incentive Travel (M&IT) magazine - circulated to event organisers throughout the UK - Cape Town topped the list of favourite long-haul destination cities, while South Africa was voted the second favourite long-haul destination country.
Cultural tourismSouth Africa is home to diverse cultures, ranging from the Zulus who resisted European conquest to the nomadic San of the Karoo desert. Each culture has evolved its own distinctive art forms, music and traditional rituals, while the descendants of colonial settlers have evolved variations of their European roots.
South Africa's history has been one of confrontation, but more recently one of reconciliation. Since 1994, a number of world-class sites have been established to commemorate the country's past and celebrate its new unity, while the number and quality of cultural villages, community and township tours has grown dramatically.
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South Africa's diverse climates range from tropical in the south-east to desert in the central region. The scenery runs the gamut from spectacular mountain ranges to vast grass plains, from coastline to meandering rivers to desert dunes. The country's wildlife is far more varied than just the celebrated "Big Five", and is supported by an extraordinary biological diversity.
Three of South Africa's eight Unesco World Heritage sites are natural sites, while one is a mixed cultural/natural site. These are the Cape Floral Region, the Greater St Lucia Wetland Park, the Vredefort Dome, and the uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park.
South Africa is leading the way in one of the boldest cross-border initiatives currently unfolding in southern Africa, the development of transfrontier parks.
The country's own national parks - including the world-famous Kruger National Park - have grown to 21 in number, and the government is committed to increasing the country's terrestrial protected areas from the current 5.4% to 8%, and its marine protected areas from 11% to 20%, by 2010.
The country's private game lodges have also grown substantially in the last 10 years, ranging in standard from middle to very upmarket, with ultra-luxury lodges catering almost exclusively to foreign tourists.
Paleo-tourismSouth Africa boasts numerous sites of great archaeological significance. The best known of these are the Sterkfontein, Swartkrans and Kromdraai sites that make up the Cradle of Humankind, one of the world's richest concentrations of hominid fossils.
Others include the uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park, host to the largest and most concentrated series of rock art paintings in Africa, and the Mapungubwe Cultural Landscape, site of an ancient and sophisticated African kingdom that long predated European colonisation. All three of the above are Unesco World Heritage sites.
Adventure tourismBeing at the southern tip of a large continent, South Africa offers 3 000 kilometres of coastline along with breathtaking mountains - often side by side. The country's diverse terrain, together with a climate suited to outdoor activities, make it an ideal hunting ground for adrenaline seekers.
South Africa offers world-class climbing, surfing, diving, hiking, horseback safaris, mountain biking, river rafting - and just about any other extreme activity you can name, all supported by dedicated operators.
Sports tourismWorld-class venues and supporting infrastructure, top international events, and South Africans' passion for sport combine to make the country a huge drawcard for sports fans. More than 10% of foreign tourists come to South Africa to watch or participate in sport events, with spectators accounting for 60% to 80% of these arrivals.
There are numerous world-class sporting events on South Africa's calendar every year, and the country has proved that it can successfully pull off the really big events.
These have included the 1995 Rugby World Cup, the 2003 Cricket World Cup, the Women's World Cup of Golf 2005-2008, the inaugural World Twenty20 Cricket Championships in 2007, and the only street race in the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport, held in Durban in 2006, 2007 and 2008.
Now the country is gearing up for the biggest of them all: the 2010 Fifa World Cup.
Article last updated: March 2008SAinfo reporter. Sources:
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