Statistics South Africa has published its tourism and migration report ending July 2022, showing how the country’s tourism sector is coping as it continues to recover from being shut down in 2020 and 2021.
While all accommodation types recorded positive income growth in July 2022, the most notable contributors were hotels and guest houses and farms – which saw an increase in income of 265.8% and 237.7%, respectively. According to Stats SA’s tourism and migration report from 2019, the number of foreign travellers to South Africa in July 2019 was around 2.2 million compared to 1.3 million recorded in July 2022.South Africa’s accommodation sector is struggling to return to pre-covid levels, with overall occupancy rates at 35.5%, compared to 45.5% in July 2019.
These economic conditions are also being felt by South Africa’s domestic tourism, as inflation and rising fuel prices have impacted both road and air travel. “Domestically, demand bounced back very quickly, and there isn’t enough capacity to meet it. There are not enough flights. Regionally, there are administration issues, especially around licences,” Conradie said.