Tourism to South Africa grew 15.8 percent in the first seven months of last year, a local daily reported on Wednesday.

 

The report quoted Environment and Tourism Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk as saying more than 4.6 million people visited South Africa during the period, while a 3.3 percent increase in arrivals from Europe.

 

He added that the largest number of arrivals in the country had come from Britain but there had been a massive 34.7 percent increase in visitors from Russia.

 

Tourism has been identified as a key component of government's Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative of SA (Asgi-SA), which aims to achieve sustained economic growth of more than 6 percent annually as part of the drive to provide jobs and reduce poverty.

 

According to the minister, the substantial growth in visitors also indicates that South Africa's tourism marketing campaign is beginning to pay dividends.

 

(Xinhua News Agency January 11, 2007)