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Travel and tourism contributed 8.4% of South Africa's national GDP in 2024 — $33.8 billion of economic value and 1.8 million jobs. WTTC EIR 2025 ranks South Africa 27th among 42 panel economies, with the forecast share rising to 8.9% in 2025 and 10.3% by 2035.
Hero metric
8.4% of national GDP (2024)
Source
WTTC EIR 2025
Last updated
2026-05-12
KEY FIGURES
Tourism share of GDP (2024)
Rank 27th of 42
8.4%
Tourism share of GDP (2025F)
8.9%
Tourism GDP contribution (2024)
$33.8 billion
YoY growth (2024)
7.1%
10-year forecast (2035)
10.3%
Tourism jobs (2024)
10.5% of total employment
1.8 million
Key figures
TOURISM GDP SHARE — 5-YEAR TREND
WTTC EIR 2025 reports the 8.4% figure for South Africa as travel & tourism's *total* contribution — combining direct spend, supply-chain induced demand, and indirect employment effects.
WTTC's 2035 forecast lifts South Africa's tourism share of GDP to 10.3%, implying a CAGR of roughly 2.1% on share — a useful planning anchor for investors and ministries.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Tourism accounts for 8.4% of South Africa's national GDP in 2024 and 8.9% forecast for 2025 (WTTC EIR 2025).
Travel and tourism contributed $33.8 billion to South Africa's economy in 2024 according to WTTC EIR 2025.
Tourism GDP grew 7.1% year-over-year in 2024, and WTTC projects the share to reach 10.3% of GDP by 2035.
Tourism supports 1.8 million jobs in South Africa — 10.5% of total employment (WTTC EIR 2025).
South Africa ranks 27th out of 42 WTTC-tracked economies on tourism share of GDP in 2024.
METHODOLOGY & SOURCE
Every numeric claim on this page is sourced from WTTC EIR 2025 (WTTC EIR 2025 — South Africa, p. 1). Last accessed 2026-05-11. No figures are estimated, modelled, or AI-generated — DataGreat's narrator is locked to WTTC values verbatim.
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