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Tourist arrivals dip 1.3% as overseas visitors fall 11%

Published

Statistics South Africa says about 835,000 overnight tourists arrived in September. Arrivals were about 17% below August, while visitors from the SADC region kept numbers strong.

Nearly eight in ten tourists came from elsewhere in the SADC region. About 183,000 visitors came from Mozambique and 179,000 from Zimbabwe. Visitors from Lesotho rose by almost 22% compared with a year earlier.

About 162,000 tourists came from outside Africa. Overseas arrivals fell 11% compared with a year earlier.

Of the September tourists, 97.5% came on holiday. About 75% travelled by road. Stats SA said some ports have missing data, so the figures may undercount arrivals.

Key facts

Who
Statistics South Africa (statistics agency reporting the tourism figures)
What
Stats SA reported a dip in overnight tourist arrivals in September, with overseas visitors the hardest hit (down 11%), while SADC neighbours kept numbers strong. Stats SA notes some ports have missing data, so figures may undercount.
When
28 October 2026
Where
South Africa
Status
Reported

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