The South African tourist industry is growing three times faster the average world rate. South Africans welcomed 4.7 million foreigners between January and July this year, confirming the country’s role as Africa’s top tourist destination. The general increase in the number of visitors for this year is 8% up, and air companies have been quick to react, raising the number of flights in the country’s international airports.
Situated at the southern tip of a large continent, South Africa has over 3000 km of golden coastline. In the background, there are mountain countries. Scenic beauty and sport tourism are certainly one of South Africa’s main appeals. Apart from climbing, South Africa has hosted a number of important sporting events including the 1995 rugby world cup, the 2003 cricket world cup and 2 women’s golf world cups. Let’s not forget the football world cup, to be staged in 2010.
Business tourism has been booming in South Africa in recent years as approximately 860 official international conferences are held there each year. Similarly, medical tourism has rocketed and more than 20.000 medical tourists flock to South Africa annually, bringing revenue of around $ 37 million.
