Domestic tourism shows positive growth in Q1 of 2019

©Helen Jobson via 123RF

"SA Tourism has been focusing on marketing campaigns that entice South Africans to travel their country. We are noting the impact of our marketing efforts. In Q1 (January to March) 2019, 18.4% of South Africans mentioned not having a reason to travel, an improvement from 20.5% in 2018," said Sthembiso Dlamini, acting CEO.

Overall, total domestic trips grew by 11% during January to April 2019, a healthy indication of the growing strength of the domestic tourism industry.

Despite a strong showing during April 2019, where growth was recorded from major international source markets like the UK and Germany, the cumulative four-month total reflects an overall decline of 1,3% when compared to the same period last year.

North America and Asia were the only regions to show positive growth during this period.

Positive growth for SA tourism despite economic barriers

23 Nov 2018

"We have analysed the current international travel environment and are putting measures in place to support the growth of the local tourism industry," commented Dlamini.

"We are working closely with the private sector to show confidence to the world that South Africa is indeed a memorable destination worth travelling to and visiting."

The following seven markets have been identified as key focus areas for the year ahead:

• United States of America
• United Kingdom
• Germany
• India
• China
• Australia
• Nigeria

"While the South African tourism industry showed slight growth at the end of 2018, we are still working towards achieving our targets set in our 5-in-5 strategy which aims to have a further 4 million international tourist arrivals and a further one million domestic holiday trips by 2021. In addition to this, we have heeded the call by President Ramaphosa to further boost international arrivals by doubling the number of arrivals to 21 million by 2030."

The outlook for rest of the year does look positive with forecasts for most regions showing reasonable growth in line with expected travelling patterns.

"South Africa remains a destination with lots to offer across all nine provinces and we are determined to show to the world the beauty that comes with South Africa along with its value for money offerings," concluded Dlamini.