The number of tourists from the majority of the top 10 countries visiting SA declined on an annual basis in August, according to data released by Stats SA on Monday.
Though arrivals for foreign travellers overall increased 3.5% on a year-on-year basis, with departures increasing 2.8% — the number of tourists from seven out of the top 10 countries visiting SA declined in August. The biggest drops came from Australia, down 11%, China, down 10.6% and Germany, down 6.67%. Tourists from these countries accounted for 73.5% of all tourists visiting SA from overseas.
Between January and August overseas numbers — of tourists coming from outside Africa — dropped by 2% from the same period in 2018, with European tourist numbers declining by 3.4%. On a cumulative basis tourist numbers from the rest of Africa also fell by 1.4%