South Africa’s Tourism Market Holds Steady | hotelnewsnow.com
After transitioning to a democracy in the 1990s, South Africa has become a tourism powerhouse, with one of the best infrastructures in the region
CAPE TOWN, South Africa – Since transitioning from a system of Apartheid to one of democracy in the mid 1990s, South Africa has become the country with the highest influx of tourist arrivals in Sub-Saharan Africa. It also boasts one of the best tourism infrastructures in the region.
Today, the South African government recognizes the benefits of the tourism sector, which has led to the sector being identified as one of the six core pillars of growth in the country’s New Growth Path framework.
Undoubtedly, South Africa’s hosting of global events, such as the 2010 FIFA World Cup, has provided the country with a platform to showcase its tourism offering. During the past two decades, the South African tourism industry has grown exponentially from an estimated 1 million global visitors in the country in 1990 to an estimated 9 million in 2012, according to South African Tourism.
