BY MBONO MDLULI
MBABANE – Eswatini recorded impressive number of visits from tourists in June, with arrivals being at 83 940.
This shows that the number of visits increased by 11 456 in a space of a month, as the country recorded 72 484 tourists who visited Eswatini in May 2024. The June recording also shows a surge by 36.6 percent, compared to the same month last year, marking a notable turnaround towards pre-pandemic levels.
This is according to the 2024 Monthly Statistical Release from the Eswatini Tourism Authority (ETA), a parastatal under the Ministry of Tourism and Environmental Affairs. This organisation is tasked with a responsibility of improving the tourism industry in the country. The ETA states that Eswatini welcomed 61 451 recorded in the same month last year. The MTN Bushfire festival, which took place on the weekend of 31st May into early June, was also seen as a major contributor to the surge in arrivals.
The arrival of the members of the Nazareth Baptist Church, popularly known as Shembe, in the country was also seen as another major reason why the number of Eswatini’s visitors increased. Members of this church had visited the country for about two weeks for their special worship, which was also referred to as the Shembe Pilgrimage. They were led by their leader Mduduzi Shembe, popularly known as Unyazi LweZulu. Worth noting is that June accounted for the second highest international visitation month of 2024, just behind January.
In June, Eswatini welcomed 77, 807 visitors from the African region, registering 38.5 percent increase in comparison to the same period in 2023. Neighbouring markets also showed notable gains, with South Africa accounting for a 42.6 percent rise in arrivals, whilst Mozambican travelers increased by over 23 percent. Other markets that demonstrated notable growth during the review period include Zimbabwe (+49.4 percent), Lesotho (+47.0 percent), Malawi (+37.0 percent), Botswana (+40.0 percent), Kenya (+32.9 percent), and Zambia (+10.8 percent).
The European market reached 20.9 percent growth compared to June of the preceding year, demonstrating resumed traveler’s travel confidence among European consumers. Key influencing markets towards this rebound were Sweden (+85.2 percent), Portugal (+91.7 percent), France (+76.2 percent), and Switzerland (+57.5 percent).
In a notable showing, Canada and Brazil dominated inbound visits from the Americas, with Canadian arrivals soaring by 177.4 percent, and Brazilian visitors rising by 88.8 percent. Meanwhile, the United States of America (USA) accounted for a modest increase of 3.7 percent in visitations for the month.
Arrivals from Asia and the Pacific showed robust growth during the review period with a 17.4 percent increase. Taiwan led the way with a 13.5 percent rise, followed by China with a 1.15 percent increase, and India with a 3.5 percent boost. Additionally, the Australasia region also recorded an improvement compared to 2023.
Conversely, the Middle East region registered declines that were attributable to the ongoing Gaza conflict. Israel, which traditionally has been the region’s leading source of visitors to Eswatini, registered a 35.2 percent decrease in arrivals. On a positive note, Iranian arrivals emerged with triple-digit growth to record a remarkable 132.6 percent increase in the reviewed month.
- The average length of stay for visitors to Eswatini in June 2024 also showed a notable improvement, with tourists spending an average of 2.95 nights during the month, reflecting improved engagement with the country’s tourism product. This new data suggests that Eswatini the diverse range in inbound visits to the destination is boding well towards a swift recovery of the sector, and as global travelers continue to regain confidence the anticipation is that of full resumption in desire and commitment to travel.
