South Africa ranks highest on continent’s tourism index

South Africa has ranked the highest in the African region on the 2024 Travel and Tourism Development Index (TTDI) published by the World Economic Forum.

Minister of Tourism Patricia de Lille said on Thursday she was pleased with this ranking as it affirms her department’s commitment to elevate the significance of the tourism sector in the country.

South Africa was ranked 55 among 119 countries and emerged as the leading country in the rankings for the African continent in the second edition of an index by the World Economic Forum.

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The report revealed that South Africa is home to the largest Travel and Tourism Economy in Africa. It measures the set of factors and policies that enable the sustainable and resilient development of the travel and tourism sector, which in turn contributes to the development of a country.

In 2023, South Africa welcomed close to 8.5 million international visitors of which 6.4million were from the African continent, according to the department. This represents a significant increase of 48.9% compared to 2022 arrivals.

During the first quarter of 2024 – January to March – South African is reported to have welcomed 2.4million visitors from the rest of the world, representing a notable 15.4% increase when compared with the same period in 2023.

“The tourism sector has achieved robust growth over the past year and this is due to closer partnerships and collaborations with the private sector to grow tourism to its full potential,” De Lille said.

In the 2024 Index, South Africa moved up seven places compared to its previous ranking and scored high for price competitiveness, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) readiness, natural resources and travel and tourism socio-economic impact.