Top adventure destinations in the world: SA a favourite

Top adventure destinations in the world: SA a favourite

South Africa’s reputation as an adventure destination continues to grow stronger. Many travellers consider the country to be one of the top adventure destinations in the world, attracting visitors from all around the world.

Visitors from all over coming to South Africa

The country ranks among the world’s top adventure destinations for visitors from Europe, the United Kingdom, the Americas, Brazil, Asia, Japan, and the rest of Africa.

Those who visit the country in search of adventure generally stay five nights or longer. Notably, they also spend almost three times more than the average tourist to South Africa.

Apart from this being a good thing for the country’s reputation, it is also beneficial for South Africa’s economy. With improved marketing efforts to promote the sector, the number of visitors can increase even more.

In 2023, adventure seekers stayed an average of 19 nights and spent R30 000, compared to R11 800 spent by ‘regular’ visitors, i.e. those not specifically looking for adventures, according to Tourism Update.

Adventure tourism the new ‘in’ thing

SA Tourism stated that adventure tourism is ‘the new gold’. The trend that SA Tourism noticed is that tourists across the globe are increasingly seeking experiences instead of products. Therefore, many are spending their time and money on unique and exciting activities.

The broader categories of adventure and wildlife are South Africa’s main tourist attractions. In 2023, adventure tourists accounted for 8.8% (722 900) of the country’s 8.2 million arrivals.

With thousands of kilometres of shoreline and 14 561 named mountain peaks, the opportunities for a variety of tourist experiences are significant in South Africa. Adventure seekers can choose between zip-lining, bungee jumping, kayaking, rock climbing, and mountain biking, among many others.

Mostly first-timers

According to SA Tourism’s Brand Tracker results, the majority of adventure tourists are first-timers. This trend was also observed before the pandemic, with 67% of adventure tourists being first-timers in 2019. In 2023, 59% of adventure tourists visiting South Africa were first-timers. The survey serves as an international brand assessment to gauge appeal and demand creation in South Africa’s markets.

Interestingly, the survey found that the youth adventure market had decreased, highlighting an opportunity to target them with new experiences that incorporate technology.

Adventure hotspot in South Africa: The Western Cape

The Western Cape was the adventure capital of South Africa in 2023. Of all the country’s adventure tourists, 85% visited this province. The province collected 62% of the overall spend by adventure tourists.

The top 13 attractions of 2023 are all in the Western Cape. Outside of the Western Cape, top adventure attractions included the Kruger National Park, Addo Elephant Park, and Storm’s River.