South Africa’s tourism sector continues to gather momentum, with more than three million travellers moving through the country in March 2026, as holiday travel remained the dominant reason for visits.
New figures released by Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) show that 3 037 756 travellers — including arrivals, departures and transits — passed through South African ports of entry during the month, underlining tourism’s growing contribution to economic activity.
Of the total number of travellers, 723 364 (23.8%) were South African residents, while 2 314 392 (76.2%) were foreign travellers.
Foreign arrivals included 1 171 740 visitors, of which 911 962 were overnight tourists and 259 778 were same-day visitors.
Stats SA said overseas tourists accounted for 24.5% (223 641) of all tourists, with the United Kingdom leading the way at 45 902 visitors, followed by Germany at 39 913 and the United States of America at 31 268. Together, these three countries contributed 52.4% of all overseas tourists.
Travellers from Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries made up the largest share of tourists at 73.5% (670 498). Mozambique contributed 208 306 visitors, Zimbabwe 179 403 and Lesotho 108 482, together accounting for 74% of SADC tourists.
Tourists from other African countries outside SADC made up 1.8% (16 827) of all tourists. Kenya led this group with 5 196 visitors, followed by Ghana with 4 008 and Nigeria with 2 507.
Holiday travel remained the key driver of tourism activity, with 97.2% of all tourists visiting South Africa for holiday purposes.
The latest data also points to growing travel volumes compared with previous periods.
Between February 2026 and March 2026, the number of South African resident arrivals increased by 17.9%, rising from 296 413 to 349 439. Departures climbed by 25.6%, while transits rose by 23.3%.
Compared with March 2025, South African resident arrivals were up 1.6%, departures increased by 2.4%, and transits grew by 26,2%.
Foreign traveller movements also recorded solid annual growth. Arrivals increased by 8.4%, from 1 107 069 in March 2025 to 1 200 534 in March 2026. Departures rose by 8.8%, while transits were up 11.7%.
Road travel remained the most common mode of transport, used by 1 985 575 travellers (65.4% of the total). Air travel accounted for 998 792 travellers (32.9%), while 53 389 travellers (1.8%) used sea routes.
Among South African residents arriving in the country, 41.8% came by air, 53.5% by road and 4.7% by sea.
Stats SA’s age profile of tourists showed that travellers aged between 35 and 44 formed the largest group at 28.8%, followed by those aged 25 to 34 at 24.1%. Travellers aged 45 to 54 accounted for 18.8%.
The figures reflect sustained demand for South Africa as a tourism destination, with strong regional travel and continued interest from key overseas markets. – SAnews.gov.za
