Soaring arrivals from Ghana and Kenya – boosted by reciprocal visa waivers – have turned a spotlight onto the under-recognised value offered to South Africa’s inbound industry by travellers from key African air markets.
Since the launch of the visa waivers for both countries in 2023, arrivals from both markets have grown to well above pre-COVID levels. Stats SA figures show that, between January and August this year, arrivals from Kenya totalled 33 902 (73% above the comparative 2019 figure) while arrivals from Ghana skyrocketed to 26 128 (a 114% increase from 2019).
Lee-Anne Bac, Advisory Partner: Tourism at BDO, said misperceptions of these visitors as low-value spenders needs correcting. Ghanaians spent an average of R24 000 per visit (US$1 400) and Kenyans R18 500 (US$1 076), she added.
“That is the average spend in South Africa alone and excludes airfares. These are affluent travellers who can just as easily go to the Middle East for shopping, lifestyle and activity offerings but they choose to come here. It would be great if we could capture more of this market,” said Bac.
Kwayke Donkor, CEO of Africa Tourism Partners, told Tourism Update that visitors from these markets largely comprised luxury travellers and corporate executives.
“A lot of these travellers would traditionally go to Europe or America but they realise that South Africa has a lot more to offer and at cheaper prices. Many of the corporates who come here for business get converted into future leisure travellers and share their experiences with family and friends,” said Donkor.
He stressed the need for differentiation between African air and land markets.
“The air markets in particular bring high value. They largely come from dollar-based economies and will pay whatever they have to pay to stay and spend on good quality food, entertainment and experiences,” Donkor said.
Bac said she is worried about operators continuing to adopt an “afrophobic” approach.
“We need to start changing our perception about people from Africa. We’ve always just sort of lumped Africa together – seeing it as one market. And that’s not the reality. It’s important that we really understand these markets cater to their needs and welcome them with open arms,” she said.
“There are certainly opportunities for the private sector to develop more bespoke products and services catering to these markets. We don’t always have to rely on overseas markets,” Bac added.
Destination marketing efforts
SA Tourism has long touted the potential offered by African air markets with its Africa Hub hosting an office in West Africa and its East Africa and Central Africa hubs managed from Johannesburg.
Evelyn Mahlaba, Regional GM for Africa at SA Tourism, said the DMO implemented a range of direct marketing investments in Kenya, Ghana and Nigeria in the 2024/25 financial year.
“Each hub continued to implement the localised global brand strategy, delivering marketing campaigns designed to inspire first-time visitors and repeat travellers. Distribution channel initiatives further strengthened market access and conversion by mitigating access issues and travel barriers,” she told Tourism Update.
She said Africa brand campaigns delivered 2 105 television spots, 2 446 radio spots, 121 billboards and over 540 million digital impressions.
SA Tourism’s Brand Tracker Survey revealed that key barriers for the East African market, specifically Kenya, include concerns about safety, an unwelcoming atmosphere and inadequate medical infrastructure.
“Despite these challenges, respondents highlighted that South Africa is easy to navigate and offers a wide variety of diverse experiences,” said Mahlaba.
She said West Africans also highlighted safety concerns along with visa processing issues in the case of Nigeria in particular.
“However, the survey findings indicate that travellers from this region perceive South Africa as offering strong value for money and a broad range of activities that align with their personal preferences and interests.”
