Overseas tourist arrivals in South Africa increased by 5.3% year on year in August but remained 4.6% below pre-pandemic levels, according to the latest International Tourism Report from Statistics South Africa (Stats SA).
Total arrivals in August this year were 12.1% higher than the same month in 2019 and 7.4% higher than August 2025.
Arrivals from Europe continued to increase year on year but momentum weakened from July when growth slowed from 11.2% to 7.6% in August while arrivals remained 11% below August 2019 levels:
- From France, arrivals remained strong with 12 492 tourists in August representing 14.1% growth since August 2025.
- Germany returned to South Africa’s top three source markets with 14 731 arrivals.
- Arrivals from the UK dropped slightly by 2.4% compared to the same time last year. However, the UK remains South Africa’s second-largest overseas source market after the US.
- Arrivals from Russia and Belgium increased significantly year on year by 25.3% and 22.6% respectively.
Arrivals from Australasia increased by 23.4% year on year. New Zealand was the standout market with a 128.6% increase in arrivals since August 2025. The increase coincided with Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry, which brought the All Blacks to South Africa for a series of matches throughout August.
The Middle East market remained well above pre-pandemic levels although the region’s recovery narrowed significantly from July’s 180.6% to 78.8% in August. Arrivals from the UAE increased substantially by 44.8% year on year.
According to August tourist data, the Asia market remains the weakest-performing overseas region with arrivals still 30.7% below August 2019 levels. Compared with August 2025, arrivals from Asia declined by 11.8%. Arrivals from China and India declined sharply year on year by 20% and 22.5% respectively.
The SADC market accounted for 98.3% of African arrivals in August 2026, increasing by 8.7% year on year.
Cape Town International Airport received nearly one-third of South Africa’s overseas tourists in August with 63 033 entering through the airport. Johannesburg’s OR Tambo International Airport remained the largest gateway, receiving 116 985 overseas tourists.
Here is the full breakdown:
Commenting on the latest figures, Martin Jansen van Vuuren, MD of I and M Futureneer Advisors, said the numbers paint an encouraging picture of recovery with nine of South Africa’s 10 largest overseas markets recording growth.
“Reasons for the improvements are related to the continued recovery of long-haul leisure demand, strong destination appeal and improving air connectivity, particularly via the Middle East.”
However, Jansen van Vuuren said high living costs, inflationary pressures and sluggish economic growth in Europe are constraining long-haul travel, particularly for middle-income households.
He noted that US numbers were slightly below the 2025 year-to-date level although there was a modest 1.5% increase in August. He attributed this to higher flight ticket prices due to the increase in jet fuel and the strengthening of the rand to the dollar.
Arrivals from India and China are cause for concern, Jansen van Vuuren pointed out.
“Lack of direct flights and visa-processing issues remain problems. It also seems that outbound travel from India to any destination has declined during the first half of 2026 due to disruptions in the aviation industry in India.”
