Mozambique Overtakes All Other African Countries in Fuelling South African Tourism with Record Growth This Year

Written By: Jishnoo Banerjee

Jishnoo Banerjee

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August 11, 2026 6:41 PM

Mozambique has emerged as the fastest-growing market among the selected African countries, with arrivals up 30.6% in January–June 2026. South Africa recorded 4,232,441 African arrivals by land and 170,710 by air, taking combined African arrivals to 4,403,151.

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Mozambique overtakes all other African countries in fuelling South African tourism with record growth this year, as arrivals from the market surged 30.6% to 1,267,205 visitors during January–June 2026. Strong cross-border connectivity, shared borders and rising regional travel demand helped Mozambique become the fastest-growing selected African source market, supporting South Africa’s wider tourism expansion with 4.4 million African arrivals.

Together, African land and air arrivals reached 4,403,151 between January and June 2026, underlining the scale of intra-African travel within South Africa’s international tourism market.

African Land and Air Arrivals Drive South Africa’s Tourism in January–June 2026

The regional breakdown makes the African contribution particularly clear. During January–June 2026, land arrivals from Africa substantially exceeded every other category shown, highlighting the importance of South Africa’s road borders and links with neighbouring countries.

Africa by air added 170,710 arrivals, taking combined African arrivals to more than 4.4 million for the six-month period. Europe recorded 728,364 arrivals, while the Americas contributed 271,298. Asia, Australasia and the Middle East recorded 176,423 arrivals, with the supplied figures showing a 7.5% decline.

Mozambique Records the Strongest Growth Among the Selected African Markets

Mozambique emerged as a major driver of South Africa’s African tourism growth during January–June 2026. Arrivals increased from 970,528 in January–June 2025 to 1,267,205 in January–June 2026, representing a substantial 30.6% year-on-year rise. Its share reached 22.7% in the 2026 period.

Geography gives this tourism relationship an important advantage. Mozambique and South Africa share a long land border, making cross-border journeys practical for holidays, shopping, family visits and shorter trips.

South Africa’s major cities, retail centres, entertainment options and established tourism infrastructure also provide a broad range of reasons to travel. The scale of Mozambique’s increase illustrates the importance of accessible regional tourism and frequent cross-border movement.

Zimbabwe Continues to Deliver Significant Tourism Volumes

Zimbabwe remained another major source of African visitors to South Africa during January–June 2026. Arrivals increased from 1,110,667 in January–June 2025 to 1,255,923 in January–June 2026, representing growth of 13.1%. Zimbabwe accounted for a 22.5% share in the supplied 2026 figures.

Its importance rests not only on growth but also on scale. Travel between Zimbabwe and South Africa is supported by their shared border and established road connections, helping to facilitate repeat journeys.

Johannesburg and other South African centres provide access to shopping, leisure, events, family connections and onward travel. The latest figures therefore point to continued growth from an already substantial African source market.

Kenya Highlights Growth Beyond South Africa’s Immediate Neighbours

Kenya presents a different picture. Unlike Mozambique and Zimbabwe, it does not share a border with South Africa. Its 14.9% increase, from 24,984 arrivals in January–June 2025 to 28,712 in January–June 2026, therefore reflects demand from further across the continent.

South Africa offers Kenyan travellers a varied tourism proposition. Johannesburg and Cape Town provide urban experiences, shopping and entertainment, while the wider country offers beaches, wine regions, wildlife and major events.

Although Kenya’s arrival numbers remain much smaller than those from Mozambique and Zimbabwe, its growth is significant from a market-diversification perspective. It indicates that South Africa’s African tourism reach extends beyond neighbouring markets and into East Africa.

Tanzania Adds Momentum to the East African Market

Tanzania provided another sign of growing East African demand during January–June 2026. Arrivals rose from 19,700 in the corresponding 2025 period to 22,627 in 2026, an increase of 14.9%.

The market remains relatively small by volume compared with South Africa’s neighbouring countries. However, Tanzania matches Kenya’s growth rate in the supplied figures, giving South Africa two selected East African source markets showing double-digit expansion.

For Tanzanian visitors, South Africa provides large urban centres, shopping, entertainment, business links and varied leisure experiences. Tanzania’s performance therefore adds another dimension to a market supported by both high-volume neighbouring countries and demand from further north.

Selected African Markets Fuelling South African Tourism in January–June 2026

The country-level figures reveal two different forces within South Africa’s African tourism market. Mozambique and Zimbabwe deliver substantial volumes, supported by geographic proximity and established cross-border movement. Kenya and Tanzania operate from much smaller bases but show notable growth from East Africa.

Mozambique stands out because it combines scale with rapid expansion. Its 30.6% year-on-year increase was more than double the 14.9% growth recorded by both Kenya and Tanzania and substantially higher than Zimbabwe’s 13.1% rise.

Domestic Tourism Adds Another Layer of Scale

International arrivals form only one part of South Africa’s wider tourism economy. The separate domestic tourism dashboard supplied for this report, which states that its data were updated through 2025, records 44.7 million domestic trips across South Africa.

Domestic tourism generated total spending of R111.6 billion, with an average spend of R2,498. The average length of stay stood at 3.8 nights, while domestic travellers generated 171.0 million bednights.

Gauteng was the largest source province by trip volume, generating 10.9 million trips, followed by KwaZulu-Natal at 8.3 million and Limpopo at 5.8 million.

South Africa’s Domestic Tourism Performance at a Glance

Gauteng Leads Domestic Trips While KwaZulu-Natal Leads Spending

The provincial figures reveal different centres of strength within South Africa’s domestic tourism economy. Gauteng generated the highest number of domestic trips at 10.9 million, while KwaZulu-Natal attracted the largest total spend at R21 billion.

KwaZulu-Natal led total tourism spending at R21 billion, followed by Gauteng with R16 billion and Eastern Cape with R15 billion. Limpopo and Western Cape each recorded R13 billion, while Mpumalanga generated R12 billion and North West R11 billion. Free State accounted for R6 billion, with Northern Cape at R4 billion.

Eastern Cape Records the Longest Stay and Highest Bednight Total

The domestic data show that visitor value cannot be measured by trip numbers alone. Eastern Cape recorded the longest average stay at 5.9 nights, above the national average of 3.8 nights.

It also recorded the highest number of bednights, at 32 million, narrowly ahead of KwaZulu-Natal with 31 million and Limpopo with 28 million.

African Arrivals Remain Central to South Africa’s Tourism Performance

The supplied January–June 2026 figures show the scale of Africa’s contribution to South Africa’s international tourism market. Africa by land generated 4,232,441 tourist arrivals, while Africa by air contributed 170,710, bringing combined African land and air arrivals to 4,403,151 during the first six months of 2026.

Within the four selected African source markets, Mozambique led growth with a 30.6% year-on-year increase, Zimbabwe maintained substantial volume, and Kenya and Tanzania each recorded 14.9% growth.

Alongside these international flows, South Africa’s domestic tourism data for 2025 show 44.7 million trips, R111.6 billion in spending and 171.0 million bednights. The figures together underline the importance of regional African travel and domestic demand to the wider South African tourism economy.

In conclusion, Mozambique overtakes all other African countries in fuelling South African tourism with record growth this year, becoming the fastest-growing selected African source market after arrivals increased 30.6% to 1.27 million during January–June 2026. Strong cross-border movement, shared borders, road connectivity and rising regional travel demand supported Mozambique’s growth, while wider African arrivals reached more than 4.4 million. The latest figures highlight Mozambique’s growing importance in strengthening South Africa’s tourism performance and underline the crucial role of regional African travel in driving future visitor growth.