{"id":96989,"date":"2015-09-02T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-09-02T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/travelstartblg.wpenginepowered.com\/south-africas-tourists\/"},"modified":"2025-11-04T13:52:55","modified_gmt":"2025-11-04T13:52:55","slug":"south-africas-tourists","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/south-africas-tourists\/","title":{"rendered":"Know More About South Africa\u2019s Tourists"},"content":{"rendered":"

“South Africa\u2019s tourists tend to be tech-savvy, rely on word-of-mouth referrals from those they trust and plan their trip well in advance”<\/em><\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Languages<\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

How Many Visitors Exactly?<\/h2>\n

Despite challenging changes to child-visa legislations and a slowdown in travellers from China, our tourism industry is a considerable economy booster. According to research complied by Candice Winterboer (owner of Alfalfa Content Generator<\/a>, a company that specializes in online content for businesses and agencies) approximately 2.254 million tourists<\/strong><\/em> visit South Africa each year from countries outside the African continent, and that an additional 543 806 visitors<\/strong><\/em> fly in from other African countries (predominantly in the SADC region).<\/p>\n

Candice\u2019s research reveals that South Africa\u2019s tourists tend to be tech-savvy, rely on word-of-mouth referrals from those they trust and plan their trip well in advance. They also expect excellent customer service and European-standard facilities. This makes sense when we look at the infographic and see that the top seven visiting countries are Germany, the UK, France, the Netherlands, Australia and Switzerland.<\/p>\n

Business and Educational Tourists Play an Important Role<\/h2>\n

According to Candice, while 75% of tourists come here on holiday, those who fly in for either business (11%) or to study (3%) are equally deserving of our industry attention. At 247 940<\/strong><\/em> and 67 620<\/strong><\/em> people respectively, the conferencing and adventure-sports niches should sit up and take notice!<\/p>\n

How Much are Tourists Spending Per Day?<\/h2>\n

The average daily spend per tourist works out at R1 189 per day, excluding accommodation and flights, and favoured activities and things to do include: nature and the outdoors, food and wine, history and heritage, arts and culture, beaches, and sports and adventure. An event such as the Cape Town Cycle Tour, for example, attracts 2 000 foreign cyclists<\/strong><\/em> each year; and these numbers surely double when family members and supporters are tallied up.<\/p>\n

How Do They Get Around?<\/h2>\n

Self-drive holidays are also becoming increasingly popular. Candice advises guest houses to branch out with a car-hire service that has a strong web presence. Up to 30% of SA tourists prefer self-drive holidays to other forms of transport.
\n 
\n 
\nAlso read Candice’s account of life as a business owner in Switzerland:<\/strong><\/p>\n