BY MBONO MDLULI
MBABANE – The Kingdom of Eswatini experienced a significant increase in international visitor arrivals, welcoming 85,451 visitors, which marked an 11.9% rise compared to March 2024.
According to the March 2025 Monthly Statistical Release from Eswatini Tourism Authority (ETA), this surge was noted as the highest monthly growth since the start of the year, indicating a strong performance that concluded the first quarter of 2025 positively. The increase highlighted Eswatini’s resilience and strategic initiatives aimed at revitalising its tourism sector as global travel began to recover from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Progress Towards Pre-COVID Tourism Levels
Further analysis revealed that while the first quarter of 2025 showed mixed results compared to pre-COVID figures, February nearly matched the pre-pandemic numbers, with only a 0.1% difference. However, January and March lagged behind, with deficits of 6.6% and 16.2% respectively. Overall, the first quarter arrivals were still 8.5% short of the 2019 figures, with a total of 244,186 arrivals in 2025 compared to 266,829 in 2019. This uneven recovery was attributed to factors such as rising travel costs, geopolitical uncertainties, and fluctuating demand. Despite inflationary pressures, international travellers remained committed to their travel plans, with most regions, except the Middle East and Eurozone, showing considerable increases in arrivals.
Regional and Overseas Performance
In March 2025, regional visitation from Africa increased by 12.9%, driven by strong growth from Mozambique and South Africa. The decline in fuel prices in South Africa contributed to this increase, making travel more affordable. The ongoing success of the Triland initiative, a collaborative tourism effort among Mozambique, Eswatini, and South Africa, further enhanced regional travel connectivity.
From the Americas, visitor numbers grew by an impressive 28.5%, with the United States recording a 24.2% increase in arrivals. Despite potential impacts from newly introduced tariffs, Brazilian arrivals surged by 60.2%, and Canadian arrivals increased by 34.7%. The Asia-Pacific region also posted positive growth rates of 10.0%, driven by key markets such as India and China.
Conversely, the Middle East saw a significant decline of 50.6% in visitor numbers, attributed to ongoing geopolitical and economic challenges. The Eurozone experienced a slight decrease of 1.1%, primarily due to declines from key markets like Italy and the UK, although some countries like the Netherlands and France recorded positive growth.
Average Length of Stay
The average length of stay for visitors in March was reported at 2.32 nights, aligning with the Eswatini Tourism Authority’s ongoing efforts to encourage visitors to extend their stays to three nights or more.
