Inbound tourist arrivals to South Africa increase by 12.8% since start of year

The Republic of South Africa welcomed more than 4.2 million foreign tourists between January and May 2026, which is 12.8 per cent more than during the same period last year. This was reported on the South African government’s website.

Arrivals from Brazil rose by 40.6 per cent. The number of visitors from Africa increased by 14.7 per cent. The country’s Ministry of Tourism attributes this growth to infrastructure development and the expansion of direct international flights.

"These results affirm that our decision to invest in tourism infrastructure, improve ease of access and diversify our tourism offerings across the country is paying off. South Africa's greatest competitive advantage lies in the combination of our people, our natural beauty, our rich heritage and our world-class infrastructure," said South Africa’s Minister of Tourism, Patricia de Lille.

Tourist arrivals from South America are showing exponential growth, primarily driven by travellers from Brazil: their numbers have risen from 4,700 to 6,600. This growth will be supported by the launch of a new direct flight route between Sao Paulo and Cape Town, which began operating on 2 July this year with three flights a week.

Patricia de Lille noted that every new air link creates additional opportunities for tourism, trade and investment and that the expansion of the route network is in line with the government’s approved strategy to strengthen direct air links and tap into new markets.