South Africa ranks highest for tourism growth

By Simon Nare

South Africa is ranked highest on the African continent as a country whose travel and tourism sector has recorded robust growth.

This is according to the 2024 Travel and Tourism Development Index of the World Economic Forum released this week.
South Africa ranked 55th out of 119 countries globally. Last year the country welcomed nearly 8.5 million international visitors – 6.4million of whom were from within the continent. That represented a significant increase of 48.9% compared to the 2022 numbers.
In the first quarter of 2024, South African welcomed 2.4million visitors from the rest of the world. This represents a 15.4% increase compared with the same period in 2023.
The latest ranking means the country has moved seven places up from the previous year.It also means that the country scored high as far as price competitiveness, natural resources and socio-economic impact is concerned.
Tourism Minister Patricia de