South Africa sees over 4.2 million visitors this year

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The UK has so far emerged as South Africa’s fastest-growing major tourism market in 2025.

From January through May this year, UK visitor numbers jumped 8.3% year-on-year to over 182 340 – outpacing all other top source markets, and second only to Italy among European nations.

According to Statistics South Africa’s latest International Tourism report, UK arrivals have now recovered to 90% of pre-pandemic (2019) levels. That’s ahead of the country’s overall overseas tourism recovery rate, which currently sits at 88%.

Tourist numbers jump in 2025

Number of tourists’ difference between Jan – May 2024 and Jan – May 2025 by country of residence. Image: Stats SA report

Zooming out, South Africa’s total international arrivals hit 4.22 million by the end of May, up 11.1% from the same period in 2024. Overseas arrivals grew 4.5% to 971 678, and European markets, in particular, showed solid growth at 4.9%.

European tourism highlights:

Italy: up 8.8%
The UK: up 8.3%
Denmark: up 7.6%
Russia: up 24.4% (from a smaller base)
Switzerland: up 5.5%
Germany: up 3.1%

Other regional tourism trends:

North America saw a 2.2% increase overall, with Canada up 6.1% and the USA up 1.5%.
Central and South America delivered a surprising 16.6% spike in arrivals. Argentina stood out with a massive 53.5% increase, while Brazil rose 13.4%.