The Kingdom of Eswatini recorded a remarkable surge in international visitor arrivals during March 2025, welcoming 85 451 visitors. This figure represents an impressive 11.9% increase compared to March 2024, marking the highest monthly growth since the beginning of the year. This strong performance closed the first quarter of 2025 on a high note, underscoring Eswatini’s resilience and strategic efforts to revitalise its tourism sector as global travel recovers from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Progress Toward Pre-COVID Tourism Levels
Further analysis of the first quarter of 2025 showcased mixed progress compared to the Pre-COVID19 figures, which the ETA Strategic baseline year. February 2025 nearly reached pre-pandemic figures, with only 0.1% (72 934 in 2025 against 72 934 in 2019) presenting a strong recovery momentum. However, January and March 2025 lagged behind, with deficits of 6.6% and 16.2% arrivals respectively. The overall quarter 1 arrivals though on a positive trajectory, are still 8.5% short of the 2019 figures, with a total of 244 186 arrivals in 2025 against 266 829 in 2019. This uneven recovery continues to be influenced by factors such as rising travel costs, geopolitical uncertainties, and varying demand across months. February’s performance, however, demonstrates that with more strategic efforts, full recovery is within reach.
Despite the ongoing inflationary pressures, international travellers remained committed to their travel plans, with world regions, with the exception of the Middle East and the Eurozone, showing considerable increases in arrivals.
Quarter 1: International Visitor Arrivals 2025 vs 2019 (pre-COVID)
Regional and Overseas Performance
Africa
Regional visitation to Eswatini increased by 12.9% in March 2025, driven by strong growth from Mozambique (+19.6%) and South Africa (+9.2%). Travel demand from South Africa benefited from a decline in fuel prices during the month, following earlier increases in previous months. This reduction in fuel costs lowered travel expenses, encouraging more cross-border visits. Additionally, steady inflation rates, supported by a stabilizing rand, further bolstered travel affordability for South Africans.
In Mozambique, demand remained robust. Adding to the strong visitations from the region is the ongoing success of the Triland initiative, a collaborative tourism effort between Mozambique, Eswatini, and South Africa, which has enhanced regional travel connectivity and promoted shared tourism offerings. Elsewhere in the region, arrivals from Malawi, Botswana, Kenya, Zambia and Zimbabwe also posted notable growth
International Visitor Arrivals in March 2025 – Highlights
Americas
Visitation from the Americas region grew by an impressive 28.5% in March 2025, driven by strong performances from key source markets. The United States of America, Eswatini’s top visitor-generating market in the region, recorded a 24.2% increase in arrivals despite the potential impact of recently introduced tariffs by the U.S. president, which could raise travel and accommodation costs and discourage demand. Nevertheless, these travel costs did not deter visitors from other markets in the region, as Brazilian arrivals surged by an extraordinary 60.2%, while Canadian arrivals posted a robust 34.7% increase during the month.
Asia and the Pacific
Asian the pacific posted positive growth rates of 10.0%. Key markets in the region that performed well included India, Pakistan, China, Philippines and South Korea. As global travel continues its robust recovery, the Asia-Pacific region remains a critical driver of growth. Factors such as the rising middle class in India and Southeast Asia, the increasing adoption of digital payment platforms, and social media-driven travel inspiration have fuelled outbound travel demand across the region (Pacific Asia Travel Association, 2025). Despite macroeconomic challenges in some areas, demand for tourism from this region has remained steadfast, supported by infrastructure development and enhanced air connectivity.
Average Length of Stay
An overall average length of stay for the month was recorded at 2.32 nights, aligning with ongoing efforts by the Eswatini Tourism Authority to increase the average stay to three or more nights per visitor.
