Mozambique Teams Up With Botswana in Driving Eswatini Tourism Gains as September Visitor Arrivals Rise by Over 6%

Mozambique and Botswana drove Eswatini’s tourism growth in September 2026. Eswatini saw a 6.6% year-on-year increase in international visitor arrivals in September 2026, as growth from Mozambique and Botswana helped to drive the country’s monthly performance despite a decrease from its largest source market, South Africa. There were 96,720 international visitor arrivals in total during the month, compared to 90,772 arrivals in September 2025, extending the positive momentum being seen across the destination’s tourism industry.

The September performance marked the ninth consecutive period of positive growth in international visitor arrivals, strengthening evidence that Eswatini has continued to attract travellers from a broader mix of regional and overseas markets.

Particularly strong increases were recorded from Mozambique and Botswana, two important regional markets that helped support the overall rise. At the same time, performance remained uneven across individual countries and geographical regions, reflecting the wider pressures currently shaping international travel demand.

Mozambique and Botswana Strengthen Eswatini’s Regional Tourism Momentum

Regional tourism was given an important boost during September as arrivals from Mozambique increased by 26.9%, while arrivals from Botswana surged by 71.1% compared with the same period a year earlier.

The increases helped strengthen Eswatini tourism growth at a time when visitor movement across Southern Africa remains an important part of the country’s international tourism market.

The performance of Botswana was particularly notable because of the scale of the percentage increase recorded during the month. Mozambique also delivered substantial year-on-year growth, providing further support to Eswatini’s regional visitor base.

Such growth has helped broaden the source-market contribution to the country’s tourism performance. Increased arrivals from neighbouring and regional markets can also strengthen demand for accommodation, attractions, local transport, food services, retail and other tourism-related businesses.

However, the September results also showed that growth was not shared equally across Eswatini’s major tourism markets.

South African Arrivals Decline Despite Overall Visitor Growth

While international visitor arrivals in Eswatini increased overall, arrivals from South Africa declined by 3.9% during September.

South Africa remains Eswatini’s largest source market, making changes in visitor flows from the country especially important to the wider tourism industry.

The decline therefore created a contrasting picture in September. Overall tourism arrivals expanded, but the country’s biggest traditional market delivered fewer visitors than during the corresponding month in 2025.

Growth from Mozambique, Botswana and several other markets nevertheless helped support the positive national result.

This pattern demonstrates the growing importance of maintaining a diversified international visitor base. Stronger performance across several countries can reduce the extent to which tourism growth depends on a single source market.

The September figures consequently present a broader picture of a destination experiencing continued growth while also facing shifting demand across its established tourism markets.

Africa, Europe, Americas and Middle East Record Growth

The geographical spread of the September results also remained largely positive.

Visitor arrivals from Africa, the Americas, Europe and the Middle East all recorded year-on-year growth during September 2026. This meant that four major regional groups contributed positively to the country’s international tourism performance.

Asia and the Pacific was the only geographical region to register a decline.

Performance also varied considerably when individual countries were examined.

Growth was recorded from Canada, Germany and Belgium, adding to the positive contribution from several longer-haul international markets.

Meanwhile, arrivals from the United States, Sweden, Norway and Italy declined compared with September 2025.

The differences highlight how international tourism demand continues to move at different speeds depending on the source market.

For Eswatini, this makes market-by-market monitoring increasingly important as tourism authorities and businesses seek to understand where demand is strengthening and where softer travel patterns are emerging.

Rising Travel Costs Continue to Influence International Demand

The latest tourism picture has also been shaped by wider economic pressures affecting international travellers.

Rising transport and accommodation costs have continued to influence travel decisions alongside broader economic uncertainty.

These pressures can affect the amount travellers are prepared to spend, the destinations they choose and the duration or timing of international journeys.

Accommodation prices are particularly important for destination competitiveness because they form a major component of the overall cost of a trip. Transport expenses can similarly influence whether travellers choose short regional journeys or longer international holidays.

As these costs rise, destination selection can become increasingly price-sensitive.

The September tourism assessment therefore underlines the importance of keeping track of changing traveller behaviour across individual source markets rather than relying only on headline international arrival numbers.

Strengthening Eswatini’s tourism appeal among both traditional and emerging visitor markets is also becoming increasingly significant as destinations compete for travellers whose budgets are being affected by higher costs.

Tourism Events Add Momentum to Eswatini’s September Calendar

September was also supported by a busy programme of national and regional events.

The Eswatini International Trade Fair, described as the country’s largest annual business exhibition, formed an important part of the month’s calendar.

Exhibitors and visitors from across the region were attracted to the event, creating a platform for commercial engagement while supporting movement into the country.

Business and trade events can complement leisure tourism by drawing visitors for exhibitions, meetings and professional activity while creating additional demand for accommodation and local services.

Another major event during September was the Southern Africa Inter-Municipal Sports Association Games, which brought municipal delegations from neighbouring countries to Eswatini.

The event combined sport with cultural exchange over the course of a week and added another regional dimension to the country’s September visitor calendar.

Such gatherings can contribute to the visibility of destinations by bringing groups of regional participants into contact with local attractions, communities and hospitality services.

World Tourism Month Supports Destination Visibility

Eswatini also participated in World Tourism Month celebrations during September.

The activities provided an opportunity for the destination to highlight tourism and strengthen its visibility among potential travellers.

Destination promotion remains particularly relevant as Eswatini seeks to attract visitors from both established and emerging markets.

The country’s tourism performance during September suggests that this diversification process is already visible in the arrival figures.

Although South Africa remained the largest source market and recorded a decline, substantial increases from Mozambique and Botswana helped push overall international arrivals higher.

Growth from markets in Europe, the Americas and the Middle East further widened the positive geographical picture.

Ninth Consecutive Growth Period Signals Continued Tourism Progress

The rise to 96,720 international visitor arrivals in September 2026 represented more than a single month of expansion.

It marked the ninth consecutive period of positive visitor growth, indicating sustained momentum in Eswatini’s international tourism recovery and development.

Compared with the 90,772 international arrivals recorded in September 2025, the latest result represented an increase of almost 6,000 visitors year on year.

The 6.6% growth rate was achieved even as arrivals from the country’s largest market declined, making stronger performances elsewhere particularly important.

For the travel sector, Mozambique and Botswana emerged as two of the most significant contributors to September’s tourism gains.

Their strong growth helped demonstrate how neighbouring markets can play a major role in supporting Eswatini travel and tourism while demand from traditional source countries fluctuates.

The September figures ultimately present a tourism sector that continues to expand but is becoming increasingly shaped by changing source-market patterns, travel costs and wider economic conditions.

With regional arrivals growing sharply from Mozambique and Botswana, positive results being recorded across Africa, Europe, the Americas and the Middle East, and major events supporting destination visibility, Eswatini tourism maintained its upward trajectory in September 2026.

Mozambique and Botswana were the main contributors to Eswatini’s tourism growth in September 2026. The number of visitors rose by 6.6% to 96,720, driven by a surge from both countries, despite a downturn from South Africa.

The challenge going forward will be to maintain this momentum across a broader set of markets and respond to shifts in travel budgets while remaining attractive to both regional and long-haul international visitors.