Share

Tourism increases in 2012

Johannesburg - Tourism numbers increased by 10.4% between January and October last year, the tourism ministry said on Wednesday.

A total of 7 535 498 tourists arrived in the country during the period, compared to 6 823 517 in 2011, the ministry said in a statement.

Tourism Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk said he was happy with the continuing interest shown in South Africa.

"Positive growth from the traditional markets in general and Europe in particular gives us confidence that the work we are doing to grow tourist arrivals is paying dividends," Van Schalkwyk said.

"South Africa has every reason to feel confident about the state of its tourism industry going forward."

There was a 12.2% increase of German tourists to South Africa last year.

Van Schalkwyk said the German market was important for South Africa and that the growth of arrivals from the country needed to be maintained.

He said tourism was a economic growth engine for the country and had been identified as one of the priority sectors to achieve economic growth and attract investment.

Tourism attracted foreign direct spend and created jobs.

A number of targets had been set, which included attracting 15 million tourists by 2020; to increase the share of tourism in gross domestic product from R189.4bn in 2009 to R499bn in 2020, and to create more than 225 000 new jobs in the sector.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Rand - Dollar
18.94
-0.2%
Rand - Pound
23.91
-0.1%
Rand - Euro
20.43
+0.2%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.34
+0.1%
Rand - Yen
0.13
-0.2%
Platinum
910.50
+1.5%
Palladium
1,011.50
+1.0%
Gold
2,221.35
+1.2%
Silver
24.87
+0.9%
Brent Crude
86.09
-0.2%
Top 40
68,346
+1.0%
All Share
74,536
+0.8%
Resource 10
57,251
+2.8%
Industrial 25
103,936
+0.6%
Financial 15
16,502
-0.1%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Company Snapshot
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE
Government tenders

Find public sector tender opportunities in South Africa here.

Government tenders
This portal provides access to information on all tenders made by all public sector organisations in all spheres of government.
Browse tenders