International one-day trips in South Africa

South Africa: International one-day trips was 2.50 million arrivals in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
2.50 million arrivals
Change on year
down 11.2%
World rank
25th
of 136 countries
All-time high
5.08 million arrivals
in 2016
All-time low
408,000 arrivals
in 2021
Years of data
16
2009–2024

International one-day trips in South Africa, 2009–2024

01.0M2.0M3.0M4.0M5.0M2009201620242009: 2.5M arrivals2010: 3.2M arrivals2011: 3.8M arrivals2012: 3.9M arrivals2013: 4.8M arrivals2014: 5.0M arrivals2015: 5.0M arrivals2016: 5.1M arrivals2017: 4.7M arrivals2018: 4.5M arrivals2019: 4.6M arrivals2020: 1.1M arrivals2021: 408.0k arrivals2022: 1.6M arrivals2023: 2.8M arrivals2024: 2.5M arrivals

Source: UN Tourism (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in arrivals.

Analysis

In 2024, international one-day trips in South Africa stood at 2.50 million arrivals.

The figure is down 11.2% on the previous year and down 49.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, international one-day trips in South Africa peaked at 5.08 million arrivals in 2016 and was at its lowest, 408,000 arrivals, in 2021.

That places South Africa 25th out of 136 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 16 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 2.52 million arrivals 2.52 million arrivals 2.52 million arrivals 1
2010s 4.45 million arrivals 3.23 million arrivals 5.08 million arrivals 10
2020s 1.69 million arrivals 408,000 arrivals 2.82 million arrivals 5

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 22 Singapore 3.50 million arrivals compare
  2. 23 Lithuania 2.65 million arrivals compare
  3. 24 Dominican Republic 2.63 million arrivals compare
  4. 26 Greece 2.04 million arrivals compare
  5. 27 Romania 1.99 million arrivals compare
  6. 28 Kazakhstan 1.77 million arrivals compare

See the full ranking of 136 places →

More reference data data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is international one-day trips in South Africa?
International one-day trips in South Africa was 2.50 million arrivals in 2024, according to UN Tourism (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest international one-day trips recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 5.08 million arrivals in 2016.
What is the lowest international one-day trips recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 408,000 arrivals in 2021.
How does South Africa rank for international one-day trips?
South Africa ranks 25th out of 136 countries with data for 2024.
Is international one-day trips rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 49.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from UN Tourism (2025) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of International one-day trips. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 16 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
International one-day trips
Unit
arrivals
Source
UN Tourism (2025) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
136 places, 2,924 data points, 1995–2024
Last refreshed

Number of trips by visitors who arrive from abroad and depart within the same day.