As one of only two European countries to surpass pre-COVID arrivals in South Africa – and with a strong propensity for self-drive travel – the Netherlands has emerged as a critical growth market in achieving South Africa’s aims to improve the geographic spread of tourism.
The latest international tourism report from Statistics South Africa indicates that 50 938 tourists arrived from the Netherlands between January and April this year: 107% of the comparative 2019 figure. The market – South Africa’s fourth-largest – has significantly outperformed other major markets such as France and Germany, which languish at recovery rates of 76% and 90% respectively. The much smaller Irish market, with just over 11 000 arrivals, was the only other European country to surpass pre-COVID levels.
Netherlands-focused operators attest to this strong performance.
“We have definitely been more busy than pre-COVID with our turnover improved by about 25%,” said Arthur Stevens, GM of Zuid-Afrika Specialist.
Self-drive value
According to SA Tourism, the Netherlands was one of only two international markets (the other being the US) to record visits in all of South Africa’s nine provinces in 2024, indicating the market’s propensity to explore off-the-beaten-track destinations.
Stevens said most of his Dutch clients are self-drive tourists who combine Cape Town and the Kruger National Park (KNP) with other areas such as the Garden Route or multiple attractions in KwaZulu-Natal including the Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park, iSimangaliso Wetland Park, Durban and the Drakensberg.
“Trips to the Northern Cape or the Pilanesberg and Madikwe reserves are less common but we do see them from time to time as well,” said Stevens.
Marieke Uphoff, a South Africa specialist with Madiba Travel, said the Garden Route, Cape Winelands, KwaZulu-Natal and the Limpopo’s Waterberg region are “frequently booked locations”.
Jozef Verbruggen, Founder and Director of Untamed Travelling, said the Kalahari and the Karoo regions also feature strongly in itineraries.
“We certainly see strong demand for regions off the beaten path. We see South Africa as a good value-for-money destination. We don’t have a time difference and there is a strong connection between our countries historically and culturally,” Verbruggen said.
Localised marketing campaigns yield impact
SA Tourism’s North Europe Hub – headquartered in Amsterdam and additionally focused on Sweden and Belgium – said marketing initiatives such as the Live South Africa campaign had a positive impact on arrivals figures.
The campaign recently won two gold awards at the International Tourism Film Festival Africa. SA Tourism’s North Europe Acting Hub Head Abby Jacobs said the first video, shot in Madikwe, was designed to “showcase safari beyond the KNP in accordance with the hub’s objectives to achieve geographic spread”.
The other video showcased a female tour operator in Soweto.
“We wanted to create a campaign that not only showcased the beauty of South Africa as a destination but also tell a story that could resonate with audiences from North Europe on a deeper level. We’re so proud of the arrival impact it’s having and we hope it inspires more travellers from different parts of Europe to visit our country,” said Jacobs.
Crime a concern but Trump rhetoric doesn’t land
According to the operators, while concerns about crime have a deterrent effect on some Dutch travellers, the market has not been affected by US President Donald Trump’s negative rhetoric on South Africa.
“None of my clients have mentioned this over the past few weeks so it’s, thankfully, having zero impact,” said Uphoff.
