Violent crime, safety concerns and weak local spending could make it harder for tourism businesses to turn growing visitor numbers into more customers and income.
The country welcomed 6.58 million international tourists between January and July 2026, a 12.4% increase from the same period last year. Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille has acknowledged that violent crime makes it harder to convince international visitors that they will be safe.
“We have to make sure that we give assurance that you will be safe,” De Lille said.
She said recent mass killings in Cape Town and KwaZulu-Natal are “very, very concerning” and that negative crime reports made it difficult to convince potential visitors to choose the country.
“We do find it difficult sometimes when people say, ‘No, I will not be safe,’” she said.
The concern affects guesthouses, restaurants, tour operators, attractions and local transport businesses, which depend on tourists choosing to visit destinations, move around and spend money.
Crime creates a tourism challenge
Tourism depends heavily on visitors feeling safe enough to explore destinations.
A tourist may choose the country because of its wildlife, beaches and landscapes, but concerns about violent crime can influence how they travel once they arrive.
The issue is particularly relevant to women travelling alone or in groups, given the country’s continuing problem with violent crime against women.
De Lille said government and the private sector were working through a tourism safety forum to identify crime hotspots and areas frequently visited by tourists.
Tourism monitors have also been deployed at popular destinations, while a privately sponsored safety application connects visitors with police, private security companies and medical assistance.
De Lille also referred to high levels of GBV.
“As women, we certainly don’t feel safe in our country,” she warned.
She said the tourism sector, where women make up a large proportion of the workforce, would work with the private sector to raise money towards shelters supporting victims of gender-based violence.
Migration enforcement under scrutiny
Migration enforcement has also become part of the tourism safety discussion in Mpumalanga.
Southern Africa Tourism Services Association national chairperson and Graskop Gorge Lift Company co-founder and director Oupa Pilane said authorities need stronger enforcement of migration laws, particularly along the South Africa-Mozambique border.
“Let’s manage migration. Let’s enforce the laws of migration, and let people, as they come into the province, or as they go out of the province, can they be legally in those areas?” Pilane said.
He referred to the killing of two tourists in the Kruger National Park and the difficulty of tracing suspects who crossed borders.
However, Pilane cautioned against blaming undocumented foreign nationals for all crime affecting tourism.
“Do they affect us when it comes to issues of crime? Yes, we get impacted, but I do not want to say it is only the illegals that are causing crime in our tourism,” he said.
Visitor numbers need to reach businesses
Mpumalanga’s tourism figures show another challenge, attracting visitors does not necessarily mean local businesses receive significant economic benefits.
The province recorded 2.7 million visitors in 2025, but Pilane said visitor spending remained low, with only about 8% of available visitor spending taking place in the province.
“We have people coming into the province in numbers and yet, our spend was as little as 8%,” he said.
Low spending can affect small businesses such as accommodation providers, restaurants, tour operators, activity providers and local transport businesses.
Pilane said Mpumalanga needed to remove barriers that prevent visitors from staying longer and spending more.
“All we need to do, like any other destination in the country, is to sort out those things that we have identified as a barrier to translating this tourism into serious economic growth that will create jobs and deal with issues of poverty,” he said.
Despite the safety concerns, De Lille said increased international flights, easier entry requirements and the Tourism Growth Partnership Plan were helping attract visitors.
She also pointed to the first Club Med resort in KwaZulu-Natal, backed by an investment of more than R2 billion, as part of efforts to attract international visitors and encourage longer stays.
