Mbabane – A 9.3% growth in both regional and international arrivals has been recorded in July as Eswatini Tourism Authority (ETA) reports a total of 88,707 tourists in Eswatini in July 2025, up from 81,138 in July 2024.
The ETA Research and Statistics Manager, Sebenzile Ginindza, said that visitor inflows rose across nearly all global regions, with the exception of the Eurozone, which saw a 5.4 % decline.
The Southern African Development Community (SADC) continued to dominate as the main source market, contributing 76,097 Eswatini arrivals. Ginindza attributed this to strong regional connectivity and cooperation.
Arrivals from Africa surged by 10.7 percent, largely driven by South Africa and Mozambique, which together accounted for 68,502 of the total arrivals.
Despite the introduction of a 30 percent tariff on South African goods by the United States, demand from South Africa remained strong, with a 7.6 percent year-on-year increase.
Mozambique also performed strongly, with a 19 percent rise in arrivals. Botswana contributed 57.3 percent, Lesotho 49.8 percent, Zambia 21.1 percent, and Zimbabwe 18.8 percent in growth.
Visitor numbers from the Americas increased marginally by 0.6 percent. Brazil led the region with a 20.1 percent year-on-year rise, while the United States posted a 1.1 percent increase. Canada, however, saw a 1.1 percent decrease.
The Asia-Pacific region posted a significant 21.2 percent increase, with particularly high performance from the Philippines at 94.9 percent, Pakistan at 59.6 percent, Australia at 32.3 percent, China at 15.3 percent, and India at 12.8 percent. Middle East arrivals rose by 4.8 percent, supported by strong growth from Iran at 99.4 percent and Israel at 17.8 percent.
Meanwhile, European arrivals fell by 5.4 percent, reflecting weaker long-haul demand from key markets. The sharpest declines were seen in Portugal, down by 22.2 percent, France by 21.2 percent, Italy by 16.5 percent, the Netherlands by 12.4 percent, and Germany by 5.7 percent.
Ginindza explained that these trends reflect shifting global travel preferences.
“Factors contributing to this trend include rising airfares, shifts towards value-driven destinations, increased preference for off-peak travel and a growing inclination toward less congested, regional experiences. This shift in traveller behaviour favours shorter, closer-to-home journeys that offer authentic cultural engagement over long-distance travel,” she said.
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