International tourism, number of arrivals - Sub-Saharan Africa
Selected Countries and Economies
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7 most visited African countries by international tourists, according to latest available stats
- Business Insider Africa presents 7 African countries with the highest international tourist arrivals.
- This list is courtesy of statistics made available by the United Nations World Tourism Organisation.
Tourism is quite the revenue driver for many African countries. However, the sector has taken a major hit over the past two years, no thanks to the Coronavirus pandemic.
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At the height of the global health scare in 2020 and even through to 2021, virtually all African countries were forced to shut down their land and sea borders as part of a global restrictions on travel aimed at curtailing the spread of virus. Unfortunately, this measure had inevitably shut down global tourism. And billions of dollars were lost in the process.
READ: 5 conflict hotspots in Africa and how their economies have been affected
To show just how severe the pandemic's impact on Africa's tourism sector was, we obtained statistics from the UN World Tourism Organisation which show that international tourism receipts (i.e., expenditures by international visitors in Africa) dropped significantly by 62.7% from $39 billion in 2019 to $14 billion in 2020.
But there is some good news. According to the UNWTO's tourism recovery tracker, international tourist arrivals in Africa stood at 69% as of January 2022. Travel restrictions across the continent have also dropped to 9.43% from a high of 84.91% in June 2020.
READ: 5 oldest hotels in Africa and current booking prices
This is not to say that everything is back to normal. As a matter of fact, the number of international tourist arrivals in Africa is still very abysmal compared to pre-pandemic levels.
Based on available data from the UNWTO, a total of 18.5 million international tourists visited Africa in 2021 compared to 68.2 million in 2019. This is indicative of a 72.9% decline year on year.
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Based on the 2021 stats, below are the seven African countries with the highest international tourist arrivals. Now, it is important to bear in mind that the UNWTO emphasized that its ranking is subject to change, as time lapses and more updates become available.
- South Africa: A total of 2.3 million international tourists arrived this country in 2021.
- Tanzania: A total of 900, 000 international tourists arrived this country in 2021.
- Ethiopia: A total of 500,000 international tourists arrived this country in 2021.
- Reunion: A total of 300, 000 international tourists arrived this country in 2021.
- Eswatini: A total of 200, 000 international tourists arrived this country in 2021.
- Seychelles: A total of 200, 000 international tourists arrived this country in 2021.
- Mauritius: A total of 200, 000 international tourists arrived this country in 2021.
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Travel, Tourism & Hospitality
Monthly number of tourists in South Africa 2021-2024, by region of origin
The majority of the tourists entering South Africa between 2021 and 2024 were from the African continent. In February 2023, the number of tourists from Africa amounted to almost 515,000 tourists. Europe and North America followed with roughly 146,000 and 30,000 visitors, respectively. During the period under review, the number of tourists in the country was lowest in 2021 due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) lockdowns, which was first introduced in March 2020 and was officially lifted in April 2022.
Number of tourists in South Africa from January 2021 to February 2024, by world region of origin
Additional Information
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South Africa
January 2021 to February 2024
coutnry of residence as region of origin
The figures have been taken from several publications.
Other statistics on the topic Hotel industry in South Africa
Leisure Travel
- Leading outbound travel destinations from the UK 2019-2023
- Inbound tourist visits to the UK 2002-2023
- Leading UK cities for international tourism 2019-2023, by visits
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- Most popular hotel brands in the UK Q2 2024
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Statistics on " Travel and tourism in the United Kingdom (UK) "
- Travel and tourism's total contribution to GDP in the UK 2019-2022
- Distribution of travel and tourism expenditure in the UK 2019-2022, by type
- Distribution of travel and tourism expenditure in the UK 2019-2022, by tourist type
- Travel and tourism's total contribution to employment in the UK 2019-2022
- Median full-time salary in tourism and hospitality industries in the UK 2023
- CPI inflation rate of travel and tourism services in the UK 2023
- Inbound tourist visits to the UK 2019-2022, by purpose of trip
- Leading inbound travel markets in the UK 2019-2022, by number of visits
- Leading inbound travel markets in the UK 2023, by growth in travel demand on Google
- Number of overnight stays by inbound tourists in the UK 2004-2022
- International tourist spending in the UK 2004-2024
- Leading inbound travel markets for the UK 2019-2023, by spending
- Number of outbound tourist visits from the UK 2007-2023
- Outbound tourism visits from the UK 2019-2022, by purpose
- Leading outbound travel markets in the UK 2023, by growth in travel demand on Google
- Number of outbound overnight stays by UK residents 2011-2023
- Outbound tourism expenditure in the UK 2007-2023
- Domestic overnight trips in Great Britain 2010-2022
- Domestic tourism trips in Great Britain 2018-2022, by purpose
- Number of domestic overnight trips in Great Britain 2023, by destination type
- Number of tourism day visits in Great Britain 2011-2022
- Total domestic travel expenditure in Great Britain 2019-2022
- Domestic overnight tourism spending in Great Britain 2010-2022
- Expenditure on domestic day trips in Great Britain 2011-2022
- Average spend on domestic summer holidays in the United Kingdom (UK) 2011-2023
- Number of accommodation businesses in the UK 2008-2022
- Number of accommodation enterprises in the UK 2018-2021, by type
- Turnover of accommodation businesses in the UK 2008-2022
- Turnover of accommodation services in the UK 2015-2022, by sector
- Number of hotel businesses in the UK 2008-2022
- Consumer expenditure on accommodation in the UK 2005-2022
- Attitudes towards traveling in the UK 2024
- Travel frequency for private purposes in the UK 2024
- Travel frequency for business purposes in the UK 2024
- Share of Britons taking days of holiday 2019-2023, by number of days
- Share of Britons who did not take any holiday days 2019-2023, by gender
- Share of Britons who did not take any holiday days 2019-2023, by age
- Leading regions for summer staycations in the UK 2024
- Preferred methods to book the next overseas holiday in the UK October 2022, by age
- Travel & Tourism market revenue in the United Kingdom 2019-2029, by segment
- Travel & Tourism market revenue growth in the UK 2020-2029, by segment
- Revenue forecast in selected countries in the Travel & Tourism market in 2024
- Number of users of package holidays in the UK 2019-2029
- Number of users of hotels in the UK 2019-2029
- Number of users of vacation rentals in the UK 2019-2029
Other statistics that may interest you Travel and tourism in the United Kingdom (UK)
- Basic Statistic Travel and tourism's total contribution to GDP in the UK 2019-2022
- Basic Statistic Distribution of travel and tourism expenditure in the UK 2019-2022, by type
- Basic Statistic Distribution of travel and tourism expenditure in the UK 2019-2022, by tourist type
- Basic Statistic Travel and tourism's total contribution to employment in the UK 2019-2022
- Premium Statistic Median full-time salary in tourism and hospitality industries in the UK 2023
- Premium Statistic CPI inflation rate of travel and tourism services in the UK 2023
Inbound tourism
- Basic Statistic Inbound tourist visits to the UK 2002-2023
- Premium Statistic Inbound tourist visits to the UK 2019-2022, by purpose of trip
- Basic Statistic Leading inbound travel markets in the UK 2019-2022, by number of visits
- Premium Statistic Leading inbound travel markets in the UK 2023, by growth in travel demand on Google
- Premium Statistic Number of overnight stays by inbound tourists in the UK 2004-2022
- Premium Statistic International tourist spending in the UK 2004-2024
- Premium Statistic Leading inbound travel markets for the UK 2019-2023, by spending
- Premium Statistic Leading UK cities for international tourism 2019-2023, by visits
Outbound tourism
- Premium Statistic Number of outbound tourist visits from the UK 2007-2023
- Premium Statistic Outbound tourism visits from the UK 2019-2022, by purpose
- Premium Statistic Leading outbound travel destinations from the UK 2019-2023
- Premium Statistic Leading outbound travel markets in the UK 2023, by growth in travel demand on Google
- Premium Statistic Number of outbound overnight stays by UK residents 2011-2023
- Premium Statistic Outbound tourism expenditure in the UK 2007-2023
Domestic tourism
- Premium Statistic Domestic overnight trips in Great Britain 2010-2022
- Premium Statistic Domestic tourism trips in Great Britain 2018-2022, by purpose
- Premium Statistic Number of domestic overnight trips in Great Britain 2023, by destination type
- Premium Statistic Number of tourism day visits in Great Britain 2011-2022
- Premium Statistic Total domestic travel expenditure in Great Britain 2019-2022
- Premium Statistic Domestic overnight tourism spending in Great Britain 2010-2022
- Premium Statistic Expenditure on domestic day trips in Great Britain 2011-2022
- Premium Statistic Average spend on domestic summer holidays in the United Kingdom (UK) 2011-2023
- Premium Statistic Number of accommodation businesses in the UK 2008-2022
- Premium Statistic Number of accommodation enterprises in the UK 2018-2021, by type
- Premium Statistic Turnover of accommodation businesses in the UK 2008-2022
- Premium Statistic Turnover of accommodation services in the UK 2015-2022, by sector
- Premium Statistic Number of hotel businesses in the UK 2008-2022
- Basic Statistic Most popular hotel brands in the UK Q2 2024
- Premium Statistic Consumer expenditure on accommodation in the UK 2005-2022
Travel behavior
- Premium Statistic Attitudes towards traveling in the UK 2024
- Premium Statistic Travel frequency for private purposes in the UK 2024
- Premium Statistic Travel frequency for business purposes in the UK 2024
- Premium Statistic Share of Britons taking days of holiday 2019-2023, by number of days
- Premium Statistic Share of Britons who did not take any holiday days 2019-2023, by gender
- Premium Statistic Share of Britons who did not take any holiday days 2019-2023, by age
- Premium Statistic Leading regions for summer staycations in the UK 2024
- Premium Statistic Preferred methods to book the next overseas holiday in the UK October 2022, by age
- Premium Statistic Travel & Tourism market revenue in the United Kingdom 2019-2029, by segment
- Premium Statistic Travel & Tourism market revenue growth in the UK 2020-2029, by segment
- Premium Statistic Revenue forecast in selected countries in the Travel & Tourism market in 2024
- Premium Statistic Number of users of package holidays in the UK 2019-2029
- Premium Statistic Number of users of hotels in the UK 2019-2029
- Premium Statistic Number of users of vacation rentals in the UK 2019-2029
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- Most visited amusement and theme parks APAC 2022-2023, by facility
- Most visited Latin American amusement and theme parks 2023
- Walt Disney World Animal Kingdom theme park attendance 2009-2023
- Universal Orlando Islands of Adventure theme park attendance 2009-2023
- Seaworld Florida theme park attendance 2009-2023
IMAGES
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International tourism is experiencing a start to 2022 marked by an increased number of destinations around the world easing travel restrictions. International tourist arrivals have more than doubled ompared to last year and Africa has registered a growth of 51% in early 2022 compared to 2021, though numbers are still way below pre-pandemic levels of 2019 according to UNWTO data.
International Tourism and COVID-19. The pandemic generated a loss of 2.6 billion international arrivals in 2020, 2021 and 2022 combined; Export revenues from international tourism dropped 62% in 2020 and 59% in 2021, versus 2019 (real terms) and then rebounded in 2022, remaining 34% below pre-pandemic levels.
TOURISM 2022 - statssa.gov.za ... tourism 2022
In July 2022, the number of tourists that arrived in Africa from overseas added up to around 5.1 million, which was significantly higher than the number in the same period in 2020 and 2021.
Here, arrivals were actually 8% higher than the pre-pandemic levels of 2019 in Jan-July 2023. · Globally International tourism receipts grew back to hit the USD1 trillion mark in 2022, a 50% growth in real terms compared to 2021. Among African destinations with available data, with Ethiopia (+28%), Tanzania (+19%) and Morocco (+15%) by far ...
International tourism climbed to nearly 60% of pre-pandemic levels in January-July 2022 International tourism continued to show strong performance through July 2022, with arrivals reaching 57% of pre-pandemic levels in the first seven months of 2022. International tourist arrivals almost tripled (+172%) in January-July 2022 compared to the same period of 2021. The steady recovery reflects ...
International tourism on track to reach 65% of pre-pandemic levels by the end of 2022 International tourism showed robust performance in January-September 2022, with arrivals reaching 63% of pre-pandemic levels in the first nine months of 2022. An estimated 700 million tourists travelled internationally between January and September, more than double (+133%) the number recorded in the same ...
International tourism up 4% in 2021 but still 72% below pre-pandemic levels Global tourism experienced a mild 4% upturn in 2021, with 15 million more international tourist arrivals (overnight visitors) than in 2020 but remained 72% below the levels of pre-pandemic year 2019 according to preliminary estimates. This follows a 73% plunge in international travel in 2020, the worst year on record ...
Nevertheless, Africa has registered a drop of 69 percent deduction of tourists' arrivals in 2021 compared to 2019, according to the data released. Prospects for recovery and economic uncertainties ...
Africa tourism statistics for was 0.00, a NAN% decline from . International tourism receipts are expenditures by international inbound visitors, including payments to national carriers for international transport. These receipts include any other prepayment made for goods or services received in the destination country.
Kenya's tourism ministry projects international arrivals will surpass one million in 2022 after registering a 53.29% growth to 870,465 visitors in 2021, compared to 567,848 in 2020. In South Africa, Cape Town's tourism destinations are also abuzz with the latest figures showing a return in travellers' confidence.
Africa reached 88% and the Americas about 85% of 2019 levels; ... in the latest UNWTO Confidence Index which indicates performance for the period is on track to be even better than 2022. However, tourism's recovery also faces some challenges. According to the UNWTO Panel of Experts, the economic situation remains the main factor weighing on the ...
International tourism, number of arrivals - Sub-Saharan Africa. World Tourism Organization, Yearbook of Tourism Statistics, Compendium of Tourism Statistics and data files. License : CC BY-4.0. LineBarMap. Also Show Share Details.
Apr 18, 2024. As of 2022, Egypt ranked first in Africa with international tourism receipts of 12.2 billion U.S. dollars, whereas Morocco and South Africa registered nine and 4.8 billion U.S ...
Tourism Statistics | World Tourism Organization
According to the Minister, "Domestic overnight trips from January to September 2022 reached 23.9 million trips, 138.6% over the same period in 2021.". Sisulu believes that "domestic tourism consumption follows the 'revenge travel' phenomenon showing that South Africans are travelling to compensate for the lost time.".
But there is some good news. According to the UNWTO's tourism recovery tracker, international tourist arrivals in Africa stood at 69% as of January 2022. Travel restrictions across the continent have also dropped to 9.43% from a high of 84.91% in June 2020.
According to the latest UNWTO World Tourism Barometer, international tourist arrivals almost tripled in January to July 2022 (+172%) compared to the same period of 2021. This means t he sector recovered almost 60% of pre-pandemic levels. The steady recovery reflects strong pent-up demand for international travel as well as the easing or lifting ...
Jan 30, 2024. In 2022, travel and tourism contributed 168 billion U.S. dollars to Africa's Gross Domestic Product (GDP). This was a 40.9 percent increase from the year before. Despite the growth ...
Number of international tourist arrivals in selected African ...
Africa | UN Tourism - UNWTO ... Africa
Inbound visitor growth in Africa 2021-2025. Published by. Saifaddin Galal, Sep 22, 2023. In 2021, inbound visitor numbers to Africa increased by nearly 15 percent over the previous year. This ...
Total domestic travel expenditure in Great Britain 2019-2022; Domestic overnight tourism spending in Great Britain 2010-2022; ... [Graph], Statistics South Africa, March 26, 2024. [Online]. ...