South Africa is making billions from tourism. But six years out from the COVID-19 pandemic, tourism arrivals haven’t returned to 2019 levels.

The numbers highlight how the industry is relying on fewer tourists to generate nearly double the revenue.

SA’s Tourism Industry is Booming, But Not Where it Once Was

The figures come from Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) publication on International tourism released on Wednesday, 29 July.

The data shows that despite achieving year-on-year growth for five consecutive quarters, the number of overseas tourists hasn’t returned to pre-pandemic levels.

South Africa’s tourism industry took a hit in 2021, when tourist arrivals from overseas countries plummeted to 65 225 in the second quarter. By the second quarter of 2022, that figure had quadrupled, reaching 299 571.

Every year since, the number of overseas tourists has continued to climb.

Yet, it still isn’t at the peak levels of 2019, when the number of overseas tourists reached 537 719 in the second quarter.

In the second quarter of 2026, 494 429 overseas tourists came to South Africa, 8% fewer than in 2019.

While the number of overseas visitors increased in Q2, there were notably fewer visitors from Ireland (-3%) and Italy (-4.8%) compared to the second quarter of 2025.

The largest jump came from Switzerland (24%), the Netherlands (22.9%), Turkey (25.5%) and Belgium (20.7%).

Despite tourist numbers not reaching pre-pandemic levels, income generated from the industry has surpassed pre-pandemic levels.

In May 2026, income from tourism accommodation, which includes restaurants, reached R5.8 billion, a 65% increase from May 2019 when it was R3.5 billion.

Contributing to tourism revenue is the average income per unit night sold. In May 2019, the average was R994.30 with a 45.6% occupancy rate. In May 2026, the average unit is R1 681.40, and the occupancy rate is 40.9%.

Tourism Gets a Boost from SADC Nations

However, while overseas tourism has not returned to pre-pandemic levels, tourism from Southern African Development Community (SADC) neighbours has surpassed 2019 levels.

In the second quarter of 2019, 1.8 million tourists from SADC came to South Africa. In 2026, that figure is 2.1 million, a 17% increase.

The largest contributor to second-quarter SADC tourism was Mozambique, with 624 848 visitors to South Africa. Zimbabwe was next with 599 712, followed by Lesotho with 402 556 and Eswatini with 221 383.