ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on international tourism arrivals as released by the Strategic Research Unit of South African Tourism. It aims to provide the contours of international tourist flows to South Africa and more particularly to consider the spatial distribution of tourists while visiting the country. The chapter discusses two key and distinctive sub-streams of international tourist arrivals; the overseas or long-haul international traveler and the regional or African tourist. South Africa is emerging as a tourist destination in which urban places have become a focal point in the country's overall tourism product portfolio. Although a range of nature-based tourist products play a vital role in the destination choices of overseas tourists to South Africa, it has been demonstrated that the country's urban centers are also central places for these tourists' experiences of South Africa. An understanding of the differences between overseas and regional tourists is of special significance in terms of policy and planning for urban tourism.
