Tourism injected R35.3 billion into the economy from January to June this year.
He continues:”Our growth is in line with global averages for the period. According the UNWTO, growth in global tourist arrivals was 5.2% during the first six months of 2013.
Over a 4 year period, SA has averaged 9.4% compound annual growth for the first half of the year, despite ever increasing global competition, tough trading conditions in some source markets and the fluctuating Rand.
“Tourist arrivals to South Africa grew 5.1% during the first six months of 2013 compared to the same period in 2012. This was on top of the growth of 10.5% recorded last year during the same period.
We have thus consolidated the significant gains achieved in 2010-2012 on the back of the FIFA 2010 World Cup, and have further increased the baseline to reach an historic high of 4 642 217 international tourist arrivals for the 1st two quarters of the year,” says the Minister.
*Europe- market grew by 5.5% during the first six months of 2013 to 675 595 arrivals, up from 640 231 arrivals in the same period last year.
*Germany, its third biggest source market, grew by 13.8% in the first six months of 2013. There was also positive growth in arrivals from France (10.8%) and Italy (7.1%), respectively.
Two of South Africa’s traditional source markets, the United Kingdom (UK) and the Netherlands are still under pressure and recorded marginal declines in arrivals of -0.6% (UK) and -1,2% (Netherlands) during this period.
*North America arrivals grew by a further 3.7% in 2013. A total of 194 586 tourist arrivals were recorded for the first six months of 2013 compared to 187 703 in 2012.
*Asia arrivals for the first six months of 2013 showed growth of 12.7% to 210 776 tourist arrivals compared to 186 981 tourist arrivals during the same period in 2012. Arrivals from China grew by 23.9% and India by 11% during this period.
*Africa from our continent grew by 4.8% in 2013. Arrivals from Africa land markets grew by 4.4% in the first six months of 2013 whilst arrivals from African air markets grew by 11.4%. West African air markets, albeit from lower baselines: Ghana (+27.3%) and Nigeria (+15.9%).
