SOUTH AFRICA-TOURISM: MORE TOURISTS EXPECTED NEXT YEAR

• by IPS Correspondents (pretoria)
• Wednesday, December 21, 1994
• Inter Press Service

PRETORIA, Dic 21 (IPS) - MORE THAN 800,000 TOURISTS ARE EXPECTED TO VISIT SOUTH AFRICA NEXT YEAR, BRINGING WITH THEM R8.5 BILLION (2.36 BILLION U.S. DOLLARS) TO BOOST THE LOCAL ECONOMY.

THE EXPECTED NUMBER OF TOURISTS WILL BE THE HIGHEST SINCE TOURISM POLLS WERE STARTED IN 1987 BY THE COUNTRY'S CENTRAL STATISTICAL SERVICES (CSS).

THE ADVENT OF DEMOCRACY HAS ALREADY SEEN TOURISM FIGURES ROCKETING. MANY OVERSEAS VISITORS STAYED AWAY FROM SOUTH AFRICA DURING THE FINAL YEARS OF APARTHEID RULE, WHEN INTERNATIONAL SANCTIONS HELPED TO STIGMATISE THE COUNTRY AS A HOLIDAY DESTINATION.

IN OCTOBER THIS YEAR, ACCORDING TO FIGURES RELEASED BY THE CSS, 165,763 BED-NIGHTS WERE SOLD -- AN INCREASE OF 30.8 PERCENT ON THE CORRESPONDING PERIOD LAST YEAR. IT IS THE HIGHEST FIGURE SINCE 1987.

JAMES SEYMOUR, RESEARCH COORDINATOR OF THE TOURISM BODY SATOUR, SAID ON WEDNESDAY ALTHOUGH FIGURES FOR NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER WERE NOT YET KNOWN, THERE IS NO DOUBT THAT THEY WILL BE EVEN BETTER THAN THAT FOR OCTOBER.

NOVEMBER WAS "AN EXCEPTIONAL MONTH" AS FAR AS TOURISTS WERE CONCERNED. IT IS EXPECTED THAT 50 PERCENT MORE PEOPLE THAN LAST YEAR WILL VISIT SOUTH AFRICA DURING THE CHRISTMAS PERIOD.

IT IS EXPECTED THAT THE FINAL FIGURE FOR THIS YEAR WILL BE 700 000, BRINGING WITH THEM R7 BILLION (1.94 BILLION DOLLARS).

FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF PRESIDENT NELSON MANDELA, UNDER PRESSURE TO DELIVER ON ELECTION PROMISES, THE INCREASE IN TOURISM IS GOOD NEWS.

NEWS OF THE INCREASE FOLLOWS REPORTS ON TUESDAY THAT BUSINESS CONFIDENCE IN SOUTH AFRICA'S PRODUCTION SECTOR HAS REACHED A SIX YEAR HIGH. THE STELLENBOSCH BURO FOR ECONOMIC RESEARCH REPORTED THAT BUSINESS CONFIDENCE HAS REACHED THE SAME LEVEL AS THE PEAK OF THE PREVIOUS FINANCIAL CYCLE.

AND NOT ONLY IS TOURISM EXPECTED TO BOOST THE COUNTRY'S ECONOMY BY A FURTHER R10 BILLION (2.8 BILLION DOLLARS) IN 1996, BUT EVERY 30 TOURISTS ALSO CREATE THREE JOBS, ONE DIRECT AND ONE INDIRECT.

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