Tourism in South Africa
South Africa is a tourist destination and the industry accounts for a substantial amount of the country's revenue. The official marketing agency for the country South African Tourism is responsible for marketing South Africa to the world. According to the World Travel & Tourism Council, the tourism industry directly contributed ZAR 102 billion to South African GDP in 2012, and supports 10.3% of jobs in the country. The official national marketing agency of the South African government, with the goal of promoting tourism in South Africa both locally and globally is known as South African Tourism.
South Africa offers both domestic and international tourists a wide variety of options, among others the picturesque natural landscape and game reserves, diverse cultural heritage and highly regarded wines. Some of the most popular destinations include several national parks, such as the expansive Kruger National Park in the north of the country, the coastlines and beaches of the KwaZulu-Natal and Western Cape provinces, and the major cities like Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban.
According to Statistics South Africa's latest , almost 3,5 million travellers passed through the country's ports of entry in August 2017. The top five overseas countries with the largest number of tourists visiting South Africa were the USA, UK, Germany, the Netherlands and France. Most of the tourists arriving in South Africa from elsewhere in Africa came from SADC countries. Zimbabwe tops the list at 31%, followed by Lesotho, Mozambique, Swaziland and Botswana. In addition, Nigeria was the country of origin for nearly 30% of tourists arriving in South Africa.
Attractions
Biodiversity and ecotourism
South Africa is ranked sixth out of the world's seventeen megadiverse countries and is home to a large variety of animal life. Among the large mammals found in the northern bushveld include lions, leopards, cheetahs, white rhinoceroses, blue wildebeest, kudus, impalas, hyenas, hippopotamuses and giraffes. A significant extent of the bushveld exists in the north-east, including the Kruger National Park, one of the largest game reserves in Africa, and the Sabi Sand Game Reserve. The Kruger National Park, established in 1926, is one of the most visited national parks in the country, with a total of 1 659 793 visitors in the 2014/15 period.Annual Report - 2014/15">The country is also particularly rich in plant diversity, with a wide variety of biomes found across the country. These include the grasslands in the Highveld, the succulent Karoo in central South Africa, and the endemic fynbos biome, constituting the majority of the area and plant life in the Cape floristic region of the Western Cape. This rare vegetation is protected as part of the Table Mountain National Park, which was the most-visited national park in South Africa in 2014/15, with a total of 2 677 767 visitors.
Ecotourism
It is difficult to know if there is regulation of the term 'ecotourism' as well as what a foundation/association/company needs to do to fall into the category of 'eco-travel'. However, there is a non-profit association that represents the private sector of the "incoming tourism industry in South Africa" called the , they are "dedicated to providing and maintaining the highest possible standards in the tourism industry within South Africa." SATSA is focused on the accountability, integrity, and quality control of the tourism industry in South Africa as well as with the companies and associations they are connected to. In addition to SATSA, the website responsibletravel.com partnered with The Metro, World Travel Market and Travel Trade Gazette Magazine have established the . The goal of the award is to "recognize individuals, companies and organizations in the travel industry that are making a significant commitment to the culture and economies of local communities and are providing a positive contribution to biodiversity conservation."Cultural attractions
In addition to its numerous natural attractions, South Africa also boasts numerous attractions of cultural significance. These include the fossil-bearing caves forming part of the Cradle of Humankind in Gauteng, the ruins of the Kingdom of Mapungubwe in northern Limpopo, the wine routes of the Western Cape, and various historical sites in the cities of Cape Town and Johannesburg.UNESCO World Heritage Sites
Eight South African sites are inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, including the iSimangaliso Wetland Park and uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park in KwaZulu-Natal.Visa policy
Visitors to South Africa must obtain a visa from one of the South African diplomatic missions unless they come from one of the visa exempt countries, in which case they get what is called a "Port of Entry Visa". Visitors who require a visa must apply in person and provide biometric data. See also the visa policy of South Africa.Statistics
In 2014, a total of 9,549,236 tourists entered South Africa, indicating an increase of 0.1% from the 9,536,568 tourists recordedin 2013. The highest number of arrivals was recorded in January of that year, while the lowest number was recorded in June. A vast majority of tourists arriving in the country were residents of SADC countries, 1.9% were from 'other' African countries and 23.6% were residents of countries overseas.
Foreign arrivals by year
Tourist arrivals by country
Tourism in Post-Apartheid South Africa
Prior to the Democratic Elections of 1994
Before the end of apartheid, the nation was not largely celebrated as a tourist destination. As a result of the political unrest, the country faced difficultly in creating a high functioning tourism industry. Though the numbers indicate there was active tourism, it was not expansive and faced hardships as a result of the politics of the period.1994 - Present
In the years following the democratic elections of 1994, South Africa opened its tourism horizons by hosting a variety of world wide events including the 1995 Rugby World Cup, and the 2010 World Cup. The hosting of these events helped bolster South Africa’s image and national identity.South Africa, however, failed in an attempt to host the 2004 Olympics. Researchers have cited logistical and political reasons as to why the bid failed. For example, Cape Town was behind in the necessary means to support an event the size of the Olympics financially. Political reasons were also prevalent in the eventual failure of the bid as the committee was all white and the motive to create a national identity seemed like a false promise to the majority black population of South Africa. The Bid Committee had issues of reconciliation and accusations of racism specifically between Raymond Ackerman, a wealthy white man who led the bid, and Sam Ramsamy who was of Indian descent. Therefore, in an attempt to enhance the tourism industry through an Olympics bid, the challenge of cohesive action posed a great threat.
The Fifa World Cup of 2010 is an example of a more successful route by South Africa to increase tourism and influence the nation positively. Firstly, the event helped to bolster South Africa’s global brand and image. One of the main objectives in South Africa’s attempt to host such events was to positively influence its national identity and erase the negative image of apartheid set forth prior to the nation’s gradual shift to become the self-proclaimed “Rainbow Nation.”
Other examples of tourism positively benefitting South Africa generally have an underlying theme of supporting the cohesion of the nation following years of separation based on race. Some examples of the nation reinventing itself through the tourism industry include the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg, District Six Museum in Cape Town, and former prisons turned into powerful museums such as Constitution Hill and Robben Island which now attract tourists every year.
Tourism in South Africa has not fully been inviting to the majority of people and reflects the legacy of apartheid that is internalized to this day. Townships, such as Alexandra, were hubs of black communities during the apartheid. After the period of apartheid, townships face the remnants of segregation including overcrowding, unemployment, and crime. However, places such as Alexandra have become part of an initiative of ‘township tourism.’ The concept is meant to develop these townships by inviting tourists into the history of the locations and as a means to celebrate such places of culture. “...The phenomenon of township tourism has opened up new tourism spaces in South Africa in the post-apartheid period and involves visits to symbolic sites of significance in the anti-apartheid struggle as well as enhancing the understanding of poverty in historically oppressed communities.” Additionally, township tourism is a strategy by the South African government to promote black establishments. One marker of post-apartheid tourism is the movement to bolster black economic empowerment. Some researchers claim that this consumption by tourists of township culture could be at the expense of local residents.
The reason for this breakage between the people in South Africa can be linked to policies during the apartheid restricting blacks from current tourist destinations and a general feeling of otherness by blacks that exists today. It’s not a controversial concept, however, as the civil society and South African members of the tourism private sector have supported the argument that Apartheid “..contributed to the lack of participation in domestic tourism by the youth,” specifically. Research has proven that blacks once effected by the apartheid still have that feeling of disconnect. Black youth, specifically, who experience poverty among other issues deem tourism and travel to other parts of their own country as a white dominated activity.
Today, South Africa’s tourism industry appears to be on a decline. Naturally occurring issues related to the environment and social issues such as crime rates are contributing factors to the nation’s tourism decline. This decline, however, is a dangerous entity given the importance of tourism for the economic growth of the nation and its continual efforts to rebrand the nation following the historic period of apartheid.