SA welcomes over 1.1 million tourists in January 2026

South Africa recorded 1,133,533 overnight visitors in January 2026, according to Statistics South Africa (Stats SA). Total traveller movements, including arrivals, departures, and transits, reached 3,373, 931, with foreign travellers comprising 73,6% of the total.

Source: ©Peter Titmuss via 123RF

Tourists from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region accounted for 77,8% of all visitors. Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and Lesotho contributed the majority, making up 80,8% of SADC tourists. Other African countries outside SADC contributed 1,4%, with Kenya, Ghana, and Nigeria leading arrivals.

A total of 235,058 tourists came from overseas, with the UK, Germany, and the USA as the top three contributors. Together, the top 10 overseas countries accounted for nearly 74% of all overseas tourists.

Travel purpose and patterns

Holiday travel dominated, with 97,7% of tourists visiting for leisure, including vacations, shopping, and visiting friends and relatives. Business, study, and medical visits were minimal.

Modes of travel varied by region:

• SADC tourists primarily arrived by road (93,5%)
• Overseas visitors overwhelmingly flew (92,7%)

Key ports of entry included OR Tambo and Cape Town International Airports for air travel, and Beit Bridge and Lebombo for road arrivals.

The largest age group was 35–44 years, with a median age of 48 for overseas tourists and 38 for SADC tourists. Male visitors slightly outnumbered females (56,1% to 43,9%).

Compared with January 2025, overnight tourists increased by 11,8%, with notable growth from Mozambique (22,1%), Russia (38,8%), and Nigeria (36,8%), highlighting South Africa’s continued appeal as a key regional and international tourist destination.