Based on these figures, the increased number of tourists for the first quarter — 10% year-on-year, compared with the same peak period last year — appears to have softened the drop in tourists to SA, caused mainly by the stronger rand making holidays to SA more expensive for foreign tourists.

SA Tourism CEO Moeketsi Mosola said recently SA had the capacity to boost its annual foreign tourist intake to 10,5-million from the current 6,5-million in the next five years, and the latest figures indicate these projections could be on track.

However, the Stats SA figures are presented in “raw” form and cover tourism and migration patterns. SA Tourism is expected within the next few weeks to analyse the figures.

The total number of visitors from the rest of Africa in 2004 increased 4,2% year-on-year to almost 4,8-million, while those from overseas increased 0,4% year-on year to almost 2-million.

Compared with the same month last year, visitors from non-African countries rose 7,2% to 191350 in March. These figures were boosted mainly by arrivals from the UK and the US .

Arrivals from the UK, traditionally SA’s biggest market, totalled 54437 (or 28,4% of the total), while those from the US numbered to 20773 (10,9%).

Germany provided the second biggest with 27613 visitors (14,4%). This was followed by France with 9577 (5%), the Netherlands 8331 (4,4%), Australia 6576 (3.4%), Canada 4417 (2,3%) and Ireland 4000 (2,1%).