South Africa’s star is on the rise due to both global problems affecting other nations and a recognition the country offers an unrivalled value-for-money proposition during these uncertain economic times, says Rachel Lewis, acting hub head of South African Tourism UK.
“Difficulties in other parts of the world are helping us right now, but South Africa has long been attractive for UK travellers who benefit from a favourable exchange rate. It offers top quality at very affordable rates and there are few places where the holiday budget stretches as far,” she said.
Speaking at an event at the Rubens Hotel in London to mark the centenary of the establishment of Kruger National Park, South Africa’s best-known wildlife sanctuary, Lewis said another factor working in South Africa’s favour are the direct flight options offered by British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and Norse Atlantic Airways.
“We don’t rely on carriers that fly via the Gulf States,” she added.
In 2025, UK visitors numbered around 10.5 million, one of the highest totals on record.
That made the UK the largest source market for visitors, reclaiming top spot from the USA, said Lewis.
And this year has also started strongly, she added, with UK totals in January up by around 10%, which tops pre-Covid levels for the same month in 2019.
Lewis said she expects the momentum to continue after British Airways announced that it will be adding a third daily flight this winter to Cape Town (South Africa), which will start in December. The airline also has daily flights to Johannesburg.
Virgin Atlantic operates a year-round once-daily schedule to both Cape Town and Johannesburg while Norse runs a seasonal service between London-Gatwick and Cape Town, which will run through to May 31, 2026 before taking a summer pause.
Both the Cape Town and Johannesburg routes remain without a UK service operated by the country’s flag-carrier, South African Airways, which stopped its flights between the UK and South Africa in March 2020 when the South African government placed it into voluntary business rescue.
Tour operators
Kelly O’Flaherty, marketing manager foir Newmarket Holidays says the company is seeing “strong growth” in South Africa bookings.
“For 2025 passengers booked (that’s number of clients rather than bookings) to South Africa were up 12% year on year, and that momentum has accelerated significantly into 2026 – clients booked between January and March were up 39% year on year, which is a notable jump,” she said.
“In terms of what’s driving that growth, our safari products are leading the way – some are up over 100% year on year in 2026 so far. And a mixed focus (for example, safari and beach) and non-safari tours are also seeing lower levels of growth at around 10%”
South Africa is also a “consistent a top seller” for Rainbow Tours whose Head, Candice Buchan, says: “Attractive factors from Brits include the direct flight access and the time zone, meaning jet lag isn’t an issue, and the exchange rate is also very favourable.
“But beyond that, it has something to offer almost all tourists: fantastic food and drink, sightseeing, culture, beaches and, of course, the wildlife and numerous safari options, as well as easy access to add-ons like Victoria Falls, Botswana or Mauritius.”
100 years of Kruger
The Kruger National Park was officially proclaimed on May 31 2026, becoming South Africa’s first national park. A year after the park’s proclamation, the first three tourist cars entered the park, each paying a £1 entrance fee.
Today, Kruger National Park and Greater Kruger form one vast wilderness – around 20,000 km² – where private reserves are completely unfenced, allowing wildlife to roam freely.
Wildlife includes the “big five’ – around 10,000 elephants, leopard, buffalo, rhino and lion (the Kruger has the second-highest density of lions after the Serengeti), as well as African wild dogs, cheetah, zebra, hippo, impala and many others, and over 500 species of birds.
Elephants and leopards are two of the sought-after Big Five in Kruger National Park
Visitors to the vast Kruger National Park and the Greater Kruger private reserves can experience this rich wildlife by staying at either South African National Parks’ (SANParks) accommodation, such self-catering “rondavel” bungalows, safari tents and rustic campsites, or at private luxury lodges like Sabi, Londolozi, Tintswalo and Leopard Hills.
South African Tourism held its Kruger celebration event in London’s Rubens at the Palace Hotel, a Red Carnation property which is owned by the South African-founded Tollman family.
The group has three hotels in South Africa’s Western Cape: 12 Apostles Hotel & Spa in Camps Bay, Oyster Box in Durban and Bushman’s Kloof, a 7,500-hectare private ecological oasis located in the foothills of the Cederberg mountains.
The UK is Red Carnation’s second-largest source market for South Africa and demand “remains steady”, with the continued value of the Rand making on-the-ground experiences – from dining to activities – particularly appealing, said Michael Nel, Managing Director of Red Carnation Africa.
“Although the exchange rate has softened slightly from recent highs, South Africa continues to represent strong value compared to many long-haul destinations,” he said.
“In line with global travel trends, higher airfares and accommodation rates over recent years have influenced overall trip costs, but the destination remains highly competitive. In Cape Town, the growth of alternative accommodation such as Airbnb has provided regular UK visitors with more choice, but this has not had a detrimental impact on our hotels’ occupancies or overall performance to date.”
New hotels
New hotels coming to South Africa this year include The Cape Town EDITION Hotel on the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town, and Club Med South Africa Beach & Safari in KwaZulu Natal, described as a “full-service beach destination with a Big Five safari option that is ideal for families or multi-generational travellers”.
Taj Lion Kings Lodges will open two new lodges in the Greater Kruger region, the Taj Lion River Lodge and the Taj Lion Kings Hilltop Tented Camp, with both offering safari experiences.
And in the malaria-free Addo National Park in the Eastern Cape, Mantis Hiddn is an eco-luxury retreat of mountain suites and villas set high above a private game reserve with panoramic valley views.
UK travellers, including the “Barmy Army”, will have South Africa in their sights from mid-December to early January 2027 when the England cricket tour play three test matches, in Johannesburg, Pretoria and Cape Town, and one-day matches in Paarl and Bloemfontein (twice).
