SA’s tourism sector broke records last year, with the number of arrivals jumping 12.8% to a little over 10m. But while this seems impressive, it is far short of the potential for a sector earmarked by government as a key driver of growth and employment. "I estimate SA could be doing 20% better in terms of foreign tourist numbers," says David Frost, CEO of the Southern Africa Tourism Services Association. The crucial measure of success is the ability to attract overseas tourists. They account for most of the big spending and, on paper at least, SA did well last year to lift this number 17.9% to 2.254m. In reality, however, this was driven largely by the weak rand and the relaxation of silly regulations rather than a more savvy tourism strategy. Since 2015, the rand has weakened from about R11.70/$ to about R13.87 now — though it did recover from a horror fall to about R16.86 owing to Nenegate. In 2015, tourism numbers also fell 4.8% thanks to draconian visa regulations imposed by for...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.