South Africa welcomed more American tourists in 2021 than anywhere else overseas, which was previously dominated by German and British tourists.
Before the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, European visitors accounted for around 60% of overseas tourists annually, whereas tourists from North America accounted for just 17%, according to Business Insider.
The UK is usually South Africa’s main tourist market, with tourists from the UK consistently accounting for around 30% of international visitors.
Unfortunately, the UK’s notorious red list meant that travellers from South Africa faced intense travel restrictions and a huge financial burden was placed on travellers.
From the rest of Europe, the proportion of tourists dropped from 18% to under 10% of pre-pandemic levels thanks to restrictions of travelling from South Africa.
But in 2021, the primary market for tourists came from the US, which saw 72 000 Americans arrive on South Africa’s shores in 2021, equalling the combined total of British and German tourists.
Picture: Africa News Agency
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