South Africa Records Strong International Tourism Momentum in December 2025

South Africa’s international tourism sector closed 2025 on a strong note, with 3.96 million traveller movements recorded in December, including 997,165 overnight tourists, according to the latest figures released by Statistics South Africa.

Long-haul markets continued to show solid demand, with 238,561 overseas tourists visiting the country during the month. Europe remained the dominant overseas source region, contributing 156,279 arrivals, while North America added a further 39,686 visitors. The United Kingdom, Germany and the United States once again emerged as South Africa’s leading long-haul markets, together accounting for nearly half of all overseas tourist arrivals in December.

Arrivals from Asia reached 15,202 tourists, slightly lower than the 16,858 recorded in December 2024. Despite the year-on-year softening, China and India remained key contributors to South Africa’s Asian source market mix, reinforcing the region’s ongoing relevance to long-haul recovery and future growth opportunities.

These figures highlight continued momentum across international travel corridors and underline the importance of sustained destination marketing, airline connectivity and trade partnerships in maintaining South Africa’s competitive position within the global tourism market.

 

 

europe2africa
Author: europe2africa