A record tourism run built on a decade of continental goodwill is suddenly facing its sharpest test yet, as anti-migrant protests and attacks on foreign nationals in South Africa trigger booking cancellations from across Africa and draw sharp diplomatic rebukes from governments on the continent.
Vigilante groups have been threatening to forcibly remove undocumented migrants by June 30, reviving a politically charged issue in a country battered by high unemployment, crime and pressure on public services. Protesters have assaulted African migrants and forced many shopkeepers to close their businesses, while some activists have gone as far as blockading clinics and schools to keep foreign nationals out, despite court rulings affirming their right to healthcare and education.
The fallout has been swift and far-reaching. Several African countries — including Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Lesotho and Zimbabwe — have urged their nationals in South Africa to exercise caution, while Ghana has formally petitioned the African Union and initiated efforts to repatriate citizens. Nigeria and Ghana have also made formal diplomatic complaints to Pretoria and begun organising evacuation flights for hundreds of their citizens.
The unrest threatens to unravel a sector riding an impressive wave of growth. South Africa welcomed a record 10.5 million international arrivals in 2025, with the first quarter of 2026 recording more than 2.9 million inbound travellers — a 12.6 percent increase year-on-year. African travellers account for four in every five of those arrivals, with Kenya, Nigeria, Zimbabwe and Ghana — all countries with large diasporas in South Africa — among the continent’s biggest sources of inbound tourists, collectively contributing about 15 percent of total arrivals.
South African Tourism moved quickly to contain the reputational damage. In a statement on May 28, the agency acknowledged reports of cancelled bookings from several African countries and condemned the violence in unambiguous terms. “As an organisation committed to promoting South Africa as a welcoming and inclusive destination, we unequivocally condemn all acts of intimidation, violence, discrimination and unlawful conduct directed at foreign nationals,” the agency said. It further stressed that the actions of a minority do not represent the values of most South Africans or government policy, and that law enforcement is monitoring the situation while authorities engage communities to preserve stability and social cohesion.
“While issues relating to illegal immigration remain a legitimate matter of public concern, these challenges must be addressed through lawful state processes and institutions. No individual or group has the authority to take the law into their own hands,” the body added.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has also weighed in, condemning vigilante acts and warning that forced removal of foreign nationals from healthcare facilities is contrary to South Africa’s ubuntu values — the same values the tourism agency invoked in its appeal to African travellers. Ramaphosa said those inciting violence or hatred against migrants would face arrest, adding: “We must not allow these concerns to give rise to xenophobia, to give rise to hatred directed at people from other African countries or any part of the world.”
The stakes extend beyond tourism. Analysts have warned that the backlash could damage South Africa’s broader trade and investment prospects, with some politicians in West Africa already calling for retaliatory measures against South African retail brands operating in the region. South Africa’s international standing has meanwhile been dented, undermining its post-apartheid identity as a continent-wide symbol of democratic openness.
Tourism experts have long cautioned that perceptions of safety and hospitality carry outsized weight in destination choice — and that even isolated incidents, amplified through social media and regional news coverage, can quickly tip travel decisions. For a destination that the World Travel Awards recently crowned as home to Africa’s Leading City in Cape Town, with Durban and Johannesburg not far behind, the warning is especially pointed.
South Africa’s Department of Tourism has set its sights on 15 million international arrivals by 2030 — an ambition that now hinges, at least in part, on whether the country can reassure its closest and most loyal market that it remains as welcoming in practice as it claims to be in policy.
By: Andrews Kwesi Yeboah