Visitors from the United States accounted for the biggest proportion of tourist arrivals in South Africa in 2021, with almost 72 000 Americans having entered the country by December.
Covid-related travel restrictions have been identified as the key factor; prior to the pandemic, the United Kingdom, followed by Germany, were South Africa’s biggest source markets.
Business Insider reports that before the pandemic, European visitors accounted for roughly 60% of overseas tourists entering South Africa annually. Tourists from North America – the US and Canada combined – accounted for just 17%.
But the pandemic turned international travel on its head, with border closures, flight suspensions, and fear driving down tourism. The number of overseas tourists visiting South Africa dropped by almost 80% in 2020, as the world entered hard lockdown to contain the spread of Covid-19. The following year was even worse, with overseas tourists dropping by a further 50%, as new Covid-19 variants and waves of infections led to further travel restrictions.
Business Insider reports that just under 330 000 overseas tourists came to South Africa between January and November in 2021, according to Stats SA’s latest report on tourism and migration. Before the pandemic, roughly 2.4 million tourists arrived during the same period.
The UK has traditionally been South Africa’s main source market, with more visitors arriving from here than from anywhere else in the world. Of all European tourists to South Africa, those from the UK have consistently accounted for around 30%.
Covid-related restrictions changed all that.
The report points out that while US travel restrictions were in place for most of 2021, unlike those imposed by European countries, they were largely targeted at barring entry for foreign nationals. Fully vaccinated American citizens were allowed to return to the US without having to submit to a mandatory quarantine.
[Image: https://pixabay.com/photos/statue-nyc-new-liberty-usa-2148396/]