SA losing its lustre as tourist destination, data suggest

Singapore — Understanding tourist demographics in SA could result in the country being seen as a more attractive tourist destination. Statistics SA’s most recent figures, reported on June 18, showed a 6.9% decline in foreign travellers arrivals in April 2018 from a year earlier, to roughly 1.3-million from about 1.4-million. Departures fell 9% and transits were down 4%. The US, UK, Germany, Netherlands, Switzerland, Australia, United Arab Emirates, Sweden, Belgium, France, Italy, Canada, France, Saudi Arabia, China and Denmark account for 78% of inbound tourists. Reviewing SA’s approach to tourism requires an understanding of tourists’ differing needs, Mastercard’s senior vice-president of market insights, Sarah Quinlan, said at a Mastercard roundtable in Singapore on Wednesday. For example, British tourists spend more on hotels, transport and food, while Chinese tourists spend more on shopping. "Tourism is one of the biggest drivers of economic growth," said Quinlan. "However, you’...