Mpumalanga has emerged as one of South Africa’s most visited provinces, but industry figures presented at the Mpumalanga Tourism Expo in Mbombela show the province is not reaping proportional economic benefit from that popularity. Consultancy data indicates that while international arrivals have surged, the province captured just R8.5bn — roughly 8% — of international tourists’ direct spend nationally.
Strong visitor growth, weak spending conversion
Beacon Africa Tourism Consultancy chief executive Nomasonto Ndlovu presented the figures at the weekend. According to the data, international arrivals to South Africa reached 2.74-million in 2025, up 28% on the prior year and 59.7% above 2019 levels. Mpumalanga accounted for 26.1% of those arrivals, second only to Gauteng.
Despite the province’s share of visitors, the value captured from international tourists is small. Ndlovu described the disparity as a conversion problem: many visitors come to the province but do not stay in commercial accommodation or spend widely within Mpumalanga.
Accommodation patterns underline the challenge
The breakdown of where international visitors slept illustrates the scale of the gap. Friends and family accounted for the overwhelming majority of international visitor bed nights — 90.8% in 2025 — while commercial accommodation types took only a sliver:
- Friends and relatives: 90.8% of bed nights
- Game lodges: 4.5%
- Hotels: 1.5%
- Guest houses: 0.8%
These patterns partly explain why Mpumalanga’s capture of tourist spending is low even as arrivals climb: travellers may pass through the province, visit family, or stay outside commercial circuits where structured spending is more likely.
| Indicator | Value (2025) |
|---|---|
| International arrivals (national) | 2.74-million |
| Mpumalanga share of arrivals | 26.1% |
| Mpumalanga capture of international direct spend | R8.5bn (8%) |
Source markets and visitor intent
The consultancy data shows neighbouring countries remain dominant sources of visitors: travellers from Mozambique and eSwatini made up 82.8% of international arrivals. The most commonly cited reason for travel was visiting friends and relatives (65.4%), a pattern that reinforces the high share of non-commercial bed nights.
Industry view: convert visits into spend
Ndlovu said the province must find ways to convert existing visitor flows into higher-yield stays and broader spending. Potential avenues noted by industry observers include packaged shopping and events, business travel facilitation, medical travel offerings and enhanced tourism experiences that encourage overnight commercial stays.
Tourism is an important component of Mpumalanga’s economy: it is larger than construction but still smaller than mining. The sector supports jobs and can be a stabilising economic force in a province where other industries are struggling to grow.
Where coordination and leadership come in
Industry sources at the expo pointed to weak implementation and poor co‑ordination between government departments as barriers to unlocking more value from tourism. They argued that without clearer leadership, policy coherence and joint planning, conversion strategies will remain difficult to execute.
- Better interdepartmental coordination could align infrastructure, safety and marketing initiatives.
- Targeted product development is needed to move travellers from visiting family to paid experiences.
- Improved data and monitoring could help direct investment to areas that increase tourist spend.
For Mpumalanga, the immediate challenge is policy and operational. The province has the natural and cultural assets to attract visitors; the task now is to structure the travel economy so that visitors’ presence generates sustained local income and jobs.
At the expo in Mbombela, the numbers offered a clear message: attracting visitors is not enough. Converting them into commercial spenders requires deliberate strategy, coordination across government and industry, and investment in experiences that keep tourists in the province longer and spending more.
