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South Africa vs Spain Tourism
Picture this: Two countries are playing the tourism game. One is Spain—about the size of your average province, with some nice beaches and excellent paella. The other is South Africa, which boasts the Big Five and Table Mountain and is now officially the world’s tastiest city (take that, Milan!).
The score? Spain: 85 million visitors. South Africa: 2 million.
Wait, what?
Let’s talk about 2023-24 when global tourism bounced back like a springbok – hitting 96% of pre-pandemic levels. South Africa started strong, matching the world’s recovery pace at 92% in early 2024. Then something happened. By Q3, we’d slipped to 71% while the rest of the world kept sprinting ahead.
For every tourist we attract, Spain welcomes 42. That's not a gap - that's longer than the Garden Route.
Here’s the kicker: Tourism is a mere 0.8% of South Africa’s GDP. Meanwhile, Spain invests 26 times more in tourism than its GDP. Twenty-six times! That’s like comparing a morning cappuccino budget to a wine farm investment.
Just when we thought we were the underdogs:
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And Milan and all the others. Conde Nast 2024
Tell them where. Let them discover through your local expertise. If your home is next to La Colombe, tell them!
Make the best of it. Tell guests the good and the bad. They are “blind”. Don’t send them to naive traps.
Every day, we don’t act; we leave money on the table. And not just small change – we’re talking about:
And what about the stories that could be shared and the braai techniques that could be taught?
We need:
We've been named the world's best food city. Now imagine serving 40 million guests instead of 2 million. First step? Make sure every guest feels as safe as they do in their favorite Cape Town restaurant.
The tourism gap isn’t just a number – it’s an opportunity wrapped in potential, served with a side of possibility. Think growing demand for quality stays that’ll make your property shine. Picture property values rising faster than your neighbor’s stories about the old days. We’re talking returns that’ll make your cousin’s crypto investment look like small change. And best of all? International guests will finally understand why we say “now-now” means anything but now.
Want to be part of South Africa's tourism story? Let's talk about positioning your property for the future. We know it is possible. Contact us to learn more about professional property management that works. Also, yes, we'll explain to your guests what a braai really is. That's part of the service.
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