In the first five months of 2023, the US market recovered to 94% of the arrivals in the same period in 2019. Black American travellers make up a large proportion of those travellers.
Jerry Mpufane, President of South African Tourism North America, said South Africa’s rich history, diverse cultures, stunning landscapes, and vibrant communities, held tremendous appeal for travellers seeking a profound and transformative experience.
“Black American travellers, in particular, seek to reconnect with their ancestral roots and explore the continent as a powerful journey of self-discovery,” noted Mpufane.
“A key opportunity to attract Black Americans lies in festivals and events, cultural experiences, and sustainable tourism that emphasises giving back and leaving a positive impact following a trip.”
The US market was South Africa’s second-largest inbound market in 2019, recording 373 694 arrivals. It was also the second-highest overseas market for tourism pre-pandemic spending in South Africa, with R7.8 billion (€375.4m).
This market has grown significantly since then, recording R8.3 billion (€399.6m) �` 6% above the 2019 spend �` in tourism spending in 2022. This meant the US market was the highest in terms of spend, even though the UK market represented the biggest number of tourists in 2022.
Right platform
Speaking during a US Market Access Workshop at Africa’s Travel Indaba 2023 �` held in Durban in May �` Stephanie M Jones, founder, and CEO of Cultural Heritage Economic

Alliance, Inc., emphasised the impact of this sector of travellers on social media.
“Black American travellers play an active role in shaping travel trends through social media platforms. They share their experiences, provide recommendations, and inspire others to explore new destinations.”
She pointed out that working with Black travel influencers, for example, could create an opportunity to reach Black American travellers with unique and insightful content.
The right message and the right tone
Jones noted that travel industry professionals needed to demonstrate cultural sensitivity and inclusivity. Creating welcoming environments and providing diverse representations in marketing materials would help attract and cater for Black American travellers.
She explained: “South Africa offers various adventure activities, such as bungee jumping, shark-cage diving, hiking, and surfing. Black American travellers can participate in these thrilling experiences while enjoying the country`s natural wonders. Socialising with locals, immersing in cultural history, and experiencing the nightlife and culinary experiences are all important elements of the ultimate Black American trip to South Africa.”
Jones said Black travellers had a special connection with the destination, reiterating that there was ample opportunity for businesses to implement marketing strategies to target these travellers. V.4932

There are fears that more people will be separated by the introduction of a minimum salary level for those wanting UK family visas. Families living in the UK and abroad have raised concerns about what new rules will mean for them as they try to reunite with foreign spouses. In December, the Home Office, which says migration to the UK is too high, announced a package of measures to reduce net migration, following a spike in arrival numbers. V.5318
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An Ethiopian asylum seeker, who does not speak English, claims he was duped by a senior immigration official into paying an admission of guilt fine when he thought he was paying for bail.Two Western Cape High Court judges have condemned the official`s `deplorable` behaviour, set aside the fine, and ordered the immigration official be taken off the case. Tsegaye Esyas claims Annelise van Dyk treated him like an animal which led to him attempt suicide while in police cells. V.5320
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EREMY MAGGS: I want to stay with crime now. Individuals with a criminal record may be faced with significant challenges when seeking employment, I think that’s a given. Here in South Africa, employers may legally exclude an applicant from consideration for a position if having a clean criminal record is what is termed an inherent requirement of the job. That phrase, inherent requirement, is important, but what exactly does that mean, and when can an applicant be lawfully excluded for having a criminal record? V.5321
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As a South African who has adopted a nomadic work lifestyle alongside my wife, Ingrid Lotze, I’ve been an interested observer of South Africa’s snail-pace digital nomad visa (DNV) development process. Despite the optimism surrounding its introduction, the visa seems to miss several crucial marks for digital nomads like us. V.5322
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DA MP says hours lost continue to result in persons being unable to collect their ID documents due to unmanageable queues The DA has been inundated with complaints that the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) systems are offline, resulting in long queues and delayed processing of documents. Through questions posed to the Minister, the DA can now reveal that the DHA has lost over 77 years’ worth of working hours due to system downtime and load-shedding from 2019 to date. Concerningly, this data only relates to hours lost for the application of smart IDs, meaning decades more of working hours could have been additionally lost in other spheres such as passport or visa applications. V.5314
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Home Affairs’ seemingly endless court battles set the department back more than R110-million between April 2023 and the end of February this year. This was revealed in a written parliamentary response by minister Aaron Motsoaledi. He said the department accumulated a litigation bill of R117 692 996.3, higher than the R72 637 944.51 spent the year before. V.5315
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Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) this week revealed that Cape Town International Airport (CTIA) has achieved a ground-breaking milestone by processing more than 10 million passengers over a single financial year. This is the highest number of regional and international passengers processed since COVID-19 V.5316
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In recent years, South Africa has seen a significant influx of immigrants from various African countries, as well as other parts of the world. This has raised important questions about the country`s immigration policies and their impact on job creation for both locals and immigrants. The South African immigration system, like many other countries, is a complex and ever-evolving process that aims to balance the country`s economic needs with its social and cultural interests. Let`s take a closer look at how this system intersects with job creation in South Africa. The South African government implemented the Immigration Act of 2002, which outlines the country`s immigration policies and procedures. Under this act, foreigners are required to obtain a visa or permit to enter, work, or study in South Africa. The type of visa or permit required depends on the intended purpose of the individual`s visit and their country of origin. V.5312
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Due to system downtime and load-shedding, the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) lost nearly 141,000 hours of Smart ID application and production time between the 2019/20 and 2022/23 financial years. Minister Aaron Motsoaledi revealed this figure in a recent response to questions raised in Parliament by Democratic Alliance MP Adrian Roos. Motsoaledi provided a breakdown of smart ID production and application hours lost to technical difficulties and load-shedding per province for each financial year from 2019/2020. These disruptions hit home Affairs offices in the Eastern Cape the hardest, with over 34,000 hours to rotational power cuts and system downtime. Mpumalanga offices lost the next-highest number of hours at 17 V.5313
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Home Affairs Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi has said the public has shown great support for the final White Paper on citizenship, immigration and refugee protection which appeared in the Government Gazette on Wednesday. Briefing the media, he addressed what he saw as a long-overdue need to replace an outdated Citizenship Act, as well as enact proposed changes to existing legislation. V.5306
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