Which neighbouring country sends the most tourists to South Africa?
· The South African
South Africa attracts millions of international visitors every year, but its biggest tourism market is much closer to home.
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Among the country’s neighbouring countries, one sends significantly more tourists to South Africa than the others.
Zimbabwe sends the most tourists to South Africa
Zimbabwe is South Africa’s biggest neighbouring-country tourism source market.
According to Statistics South Africa, 2 183 260 tourists from Zimbabwe visited South Africa in 2024, making Zimbabwe the country’s leading African source market.
The figure was up from about 2.11 million arrivals recorded in 2023.
Zimbabwe was comfortably ahead of the other countries that share a land border with South Africa.
Mozambique follows in second place
Mozambique was the second-biggest neighbouring source market in 2024, with 1 592 000 tourist arrivals.
The figure represented a significant increase from the previous year’s 1.34 million arrivals.
Mozambique was followed by Lesotho, which recorded 974 000 arrivals, while Eswatini accounted for 842 000.
Botswana ranked fifth among South Africa’s neighbouring countries, with 396 000 arrivals.
Namibia recorded about 165 000 arrivals during the year.
Neighbouring countryTourist arrivals in 2024Zimbabwe2 183 260Mozambique1 592 000Lesotho974 000Eswatini842 000Botswana396 000Namibia165 000The figures show just how important South Africa’s immediate neighbours are to its tourism industry.
Why Zimbabwe matters to South Africa’s tourism industry
The strong Zimbabwean numbers are part of a wider trend of South Africa relying heavily on regional tourism.
In 2024, Africa accounted for about 76% of South Africa’s international tourist arrivals, while Zimbabwe alone contributed more than 2.18 million tourists.
The country’s proximity to South Africa, strong transport links and extensive family and business connections help explain the large volume of cross-border movement.
However, the tourism figures should not be interpreted as meaning every visitor travelled purely for a holiday. Statistics South Africa defines a tourist as an international visitor who stays at least one night, and travel can include leisure as well as other purposes.
Zimbabwe remains the regional tourism leader
The latest figures therefore give Zimbabwe the clear lead among South Africa’s neighbouring countries.
Mozambique remains the closest challenger, while Lesotho and Eswatini also contribute hundreds of thousands of tourist arrivals each year.
More recent data shows that regional demand remains strong.
South Africa recorded 5.58 million international tourists between January and June 2026, a 12.3% increase compared with the same period in 2025.