More Foreign Visitors Pour into South Africa This Year

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Sunday, December 29, 2002

More Foreign Visitors Pour into South Africa This Year

South Africa is enjoying a bumper festive season with thousands of international visitors pouring into the country and hotels, car rental agencies and retailers reporting record sales.

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South Africa is enjoying a bumper festive season with thousands of international visitors pouring into the country and hotels, car rental agencies and retailers reporting record sales.

Foreign visitors in the first nine months of 2002 increased by 13.9 percent, while the latest figures show a record 40 percent increase in overseas visitors to the Western Cape in October.

The number of visitors from Europe grew by 18.4 percent and from Britain by 19.9 percent in the first nine months of this year.Visitors from China increased by 20.4 percent, from India by 21.7 percent and from Saudi Arabia by 37.6 percent.

Cheryl Carolus, chief executive officer of South African Tourism, said: "We are very bullish," adding that the boom was theresult of hard work to market the country as a "sexy, world-class destination."

Mike Fabricius, chief executive officer of the Western Cape Tourism Board, was quoted by local newspaper Sunday Times as saying "We've had an exceptional year."

Sheryl Ozinsky, manager of Cape Town Tourism, said the city - placed fifth in a BBC poll of "50 Places To See Before You Die" - was the fastest growing tourist destination in the world.

She said there had been a 10 percent increase in foreign visitors to the city. About 300,000 foreigners and 1.5 million domestic holidaymakers are expected in the next three months.

KwaZulu-Natal is expecting about 30,000 foreign visitors and 1.4 million domestic tourists this season, while Mpumalanga - a popular honeymoon destination for foreigners - is expecting over 100,000 visitors.

Limpopo has seen a 25 percent growth in tourism this year, with the solar eclipse earlier this month giving the province a boost.

Despite Christmas spending being down 7 percent in Britain and 11 percent in the United States, South African shops are seeing increases of up to 20 percent in sales - and the consumer spending spree is expected to continue next year.

Consumers splashed out on toys and food, and Pick'n Pay reported record sales in all divisions. Chief executive Sean Summers said sales were expected to be more than 20 percent higher than last year.

Morn Fourie, spokesman for Shoprite Checkers, said sales were high, especially during the weekend before Christmas. Sales are expected to be 18 percent to 20 percent higher than last year.

The stronger rand and expected interest rate cuts could possibly boost consumer spending further in 2003, according to the latest Rode Report, a quarterly survey of the retail and property sectors.

In particular, the winners in the retail sector during the third quarter, as identified by the Rode Report, are clothing, footwear and textiles, "growing at a real rate in excess of 15 percent."

However, publisher Erwin Rode attributes the retail boom to a lack of confidence by consumers in the long-term future of the economy. "We have become a nation of spenders. Nobody saves anymore because they don't have faith in the future, " he said.

Rich Mkhondo, spokesman for South African Airways, said the airline had enjoyed a 16 percent increase in international arrivals, with internal flights at least 10 percent fuller than last year.

Flights to Durban, Port Elizabeth and Cape Town were 92 percent full compared with 68 percent last year, he said.

Flights from Britain were 92 percent full, up 22 percent from last year, while flights from North America were 16 percent fuller than last year.

In response to instability in Zimbabwe, flights to the Zambian side of the Victoria Falls have increased and are 80 percent full,5 percent more than last year.

International airlines have also increased the number of flights to South Africa during the summer. Lufthansa increased its flights from seven to 12 a week and Emirates from 10 to 14.

Grenville Wilson, chief executive officer of Avis Southern Africa, said the car rental company's yards were empty, with about10,000 cars rented out across the country.

Arthur Gillis, group managing director of Protea Hotels, said the season had been "absolutely brilliant" with bookings up 25 percent in Johannesburg and 20 percent in Cape Town.

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