Tourism · Chart
South Africa's first-quarter arrivals have grown from 0.4 million to 2.91 million since 2021
2.91million arrivals Q1 2026 · Highest
The first quarter of 2026 brought 2.91 million arrivals, the highest on record for a first quarter and 12.5% up on the same period in 2025.
From our storiesThe "Permit" Scam: How Card Cloners Are Targeting Tourists in Central Cape TownRead the full story →
Method and sources
Each bar is the number of international arrivals into South Africa in the first quarter, January to March, in millions, as printed in the article's chart.
Q1 2021: 0.4M. Q1 2022: 1.4M. Q1 2023: 1.97M. Q1 2024: 2.4M. Q1 2025: 2.59M. Q1 2026: 2.91M.
The article adds that March 2026 alone delivered 911,962 international arrivals, a 12.5% increase on March 2025. Each bar covers 1 January to 31 March of its year, so the period runs from 1 January 2021 to 31 March 2026.
Sources: Statistics South Africa (https://www.statssa.gov.za/) The link is to the publisher, not the exact release.
Figures as published in our article on the permit scam in central Cape Town (chart last checked 14 September 2026): Statistics South Africa tourism and migration releases.
Chart updated · 15 Oct 2026. The observation dates above describe the data, not today’s conditions.
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