HARARE- More than 613,000 Zimbabweans visited South Africa in the first quarter of 2024, making the largest source of Africa’s visitors in the continent’s largest economy, according to data from South Africa’s tourism ministry.

Statistics released also show that up to 1.8 million African tourists visited South Africa during the period, with Zimbabweans accounting for nearly 614,000 of the lot, up 21.8 percent from 2023.

Arrivals from Ghana to South Africa went up 249 percent to 7,904.

“South Africa welcomed 1.8 million tourist arrivals from the rest of the African continent between January and March 2024, marking a significant 74.5% of all arrivals,” said the ministry.

“Zimbabwe and Ghana stood out for their remarkable growth, with Zimbabwe experiencing a 21.8% increase in tourist arrivals to South Africa when compared to the first three months of 2023, totalling 613,675 arrivals, while Ghana recorded a 249,4% increase when compared to the same period in 2023, reaching 7,904 arrivals for January to March 2024.”

While arrivals from Ghana were attributed to a visa waiver, the ministry did not give reasons why Zimbabweans were major visitors to South Africa during the period.

“Ghana’s immense performance can be attributed the fact South Africa and Ghana announced a visa-waiver scheme on 1 November 2023.

“The visa-waiver allows for travel for periods of up to 90 days within a calendar year, for purposes of business or tourism.

“This coupled, with targeted integrated marketing initiatives executed by South African Tourism to attract visitors from this market makes for a winning formula for the growth of our sector,” said the ministry.

The ministry said travellers from other parts of the world also continued to show their appreciation and love for South Africa.

Tourist arrivals from the Americas registered at 118,194 from January to March 2024, reflecting a 12.4% growth compared to the same period in 2023.

From January to March 2024, South Africa saw 420,727 tourist arrivals from Europe, a 8.6% increase compared to the same period in 2023.

The United Kingdom remains the top European source market, with 125,420 tourists choosing South Africa, marking a 5.3% growth compared to 2023.