These are the 10 countries sending the most tourists to South Africa

South Africa welcomed more than 835 000 overnight tourists in September 2026, with neighbouring African countries continuing to dominate the country’s tourism numbers.

According to the latest figures from Statistics South Africa (Stats SA), 835 380 overnight visitors arrived in South Africa during Tourism Month.

The figures show just how heavily South Africa’s tourism market relies on its neighbouring countries, with several SADC nations recording far more arrivals than even the country’s biggest overseas markets.

The top 10 countries sending tourists to SA

Mozambique was comfortably South Africa’s biggest source of tourists in September, followed by Zimbabwe and Lesotho.

Rank	Country	Tourists
1	Mozambique	182 751
2	Zimbabwe	178 966
3	Lesotho	127 152
4	Eswatini	74 261
5	Botswana	38 672
6	USA	27 825
7	UK	22 305
8	Malawi	19 729
9	Germany	17 627
10	Namibia	13 923

The figures are based on tourists’ country of residence, rather than their nationality.

TWO AFRICAN COUNTRIES lead the way

Mozambique and Zimbabwe alone accounted for more than 360 000 visitors in September. Mozambique recorded 182 751 tourists, while Zimbabwe contributed another 178 966.

Lesotho was third with 127 152, followed by Eswatini with 74 261 and Botswana with 38 672.

Together, Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Lesotho accounted for 74.1% of all SADC tourists visiting South Africa during the month.

Overseas markets look very different

The United States was South Africa’s biggest overseas source market in September, with 27 825 tourists.

It was followed by the UK with 22 305 and Germany with 17 627.

Other major overseas markets included Australia, the Netherlands, France, Brazil, Canada, India and Switzerland. However, the overall picture remains heavily weighted towards Africa.

Of the 835 380 tourists recorded in September, 659 613 came from SADC countries, representing 79% of all tourists.

Overseas tourists accounted for 161 753, or 19.4%, while visitors from other African countries outside SADC accounted for 13 225, or 1.6%.

While Mozambique and Zimbabwe provided the largest numbers, Lesotho recorded one of the strongest increases among the major SADC markets.

The number of tourists from Lesotho increased by 21.9% year on year, rising from 104 339 in September 2025 to 127 152 in September 2026.

Brazil was the only overseas market in the top 10 to record a notable increase, rising by 9.1% year on year to 6 035 tourists.

Most tourists came for a holiday

Tourism also remained overwhelmingly leisure-driven. Stats SA found that 97.5% of tourists were in South Africa for holiday purposes.

The category includes vacations, visiting friends and relatives, shopping and other personal reasons such as attending weddings.

Business accounted for 2.1% of tourists, while study accounted for 0.3% and medical treatment for less than 0.1%.

One important caveat is that Stats SA’s border figures measure movements rather than unique individuals. Someone who crosses the South African border multiple times during the month can therefore be counted multiple times.

The September figures also show that South Africa’s tourism industry continues to have a very strong regional base, with neighbouring countries supplying the vast majority of its international tourists.