South Africa’s Tourism Month opened on 13–14 August 2026 with a national launch event built around the theme “Growing South Africa’s Tourism Sector in the Digital Era”. The Department of Tourism used the occasion to publish first-half arrivals data: 5.6 million international tourists visited the country between January and June 2026, a 12 percent increase year-on-year.
Limpopo Named the 2026 Focus Province
Each year Tourism Month designates a single province to concentrate domestic and international marketing. For 2026 that province is Limpopo — home to Kruger National Park, the Waterberg, the Soutpansberg Mountains, and the Mapungubwe Cultural Landscape UNESCO World Heritage Site. Tourism Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi noted that Limpopo’s share of domestic overnight trips has grown steadily but still trails the Western Cape and Gauteng, and that the focus-province programme is designed to accelerate that growth.
Limpopo receives additional marketing spend across September and will host a series of familiarisation trips for international travel agents. Participating businesses throughout the province are offering Tourism Month rates on accommodation, game drives, and cultural experiences.
Digital Strategy Driving Arrivals Growth
The department pointed to three drivers behind the strong first-half result. A simplified e-visa portal now processes applications from 64 countries within 72 hours. A national campaign run across short-form video platforms deployed South African content creators as digital tourism ambassadors. Renewed investment in Google and Meta campaigns targeted European and Asian source markets more precisely than in previous years.
The growth follows South Africa’s Tourism Masterplan 2030, which targets 21 million international arrivals annually by the end of the decade. First-half 2026 performance puts the country on a trajectory that would exceed 11 million arrivals for the full year, well above the 10.2 million recorded in 2025.
What Tourism Month Means in Practice
Throughout September, the national “Sho’t Left” domestic travel campaign encourages South Africans to explore their own country. Overseas visitors benefit from promotional rates at South African National Parks properties and several provincial reserves. Limpopo’s Kruger National Park — the most visited in the country — will feature in the centrepiece marketing push.
For a full overview of what the country offers visitors, see our South Africa country guide. Planning a multi-week trip? Our South Africa itineraries cover routes taking in the Western Cape, Garden Route, Kruger, and the Drakensberg. Visa requirements, health precautions, and currency guidance are all collected in our practical travel section.