THE Free State remains one of South Africa’s least visited provinces despite a national surge in domestic tourism, according to Statistics South Africa’s latest Domestic Tourism Survey (DTS) for 2024.
While South Africans took nearly 60 million trips within the country last year – spending a record R60.6 billion – the province captured just a sliver of that travel market, drawing only 3.5 percent of day visitors and 4.8 percent of overnight travellers.
The new figures highlight the Free State’s ongoing struggle to convert its central location and rich cultural landscape into real tourism gains, even as neighbouring destinations such as KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo and the Western Cape continue to thrive.
The survey, released on Thursday this week, shows that domestic travel rebounded strongly in 2024.
South Africans undertook 33.5 million day trips and 26.2 million overnight trips, up slightly from 2023 figures.
Total spending on these trips increased from R57.9 billion in 2023 to R60.6 billion in 2024, driven by R22.2 billion spent on day trips and R38.4 billion on overnight travel.
Gauteng (21.7 percent), the Western Cape (21.5 percent) and Limpopo (13.0 percent) were the most popular destinations for day travellers, while KwaZulu-Natal led overnight tourism with 17.8 percent of all trips, followed by Limpopo (16.8 percent) and the Western Cape (15.0 percent).
Nationally, the top reasons for travel were personal shopping (30.4 percent), visiting friends and relatives (20.8 percent) and leisure (19.8 percent), with funeral attendance accounting for a notable 11.2 percent of overnight trips.
Despite being located at the heart of South Africa and surrounded by six other provinces, the Free State has failed to translate its geographic advantage into tourism success.
The province’s share of day trips remained stuck at 3.5 percent, while overnight visits dropped sharply from 6.3 percent in 2023 to 4.8 percent in 2024 – among the lowest in the country, ahead of only the Northern Cape.
Even more telling, the majority of trips to the Free State were not for leisure but to visit friends and relatives, suggesting that few travellers are visiting for recreation or entertainment.
“This shows we’re not selling the province well enough,” said a Bloemfontein-based tourism analyst.
“People come here because they have family ties, not because they see the Free State as a destination. That’s a marketing and product development issue.”
Tourism stakeholders say the Free State’s underperformance is especially concerning given its diversity of attractions – from the Golden Gate Highlands National Park and Basotho Cultural Village to the art town of Clarens, the heritage hub of Philippolis and the historical heartland of Bloemfontein.
Yet, despite these assets, the province trails far behind in visitor numbers, event-based tourism and leisure spending.
Tourism is identified in the National Development Plan 2030 as a key driver of inclusive economic growth and job creation.
The DTS 2024 findings suggest that the Free State’s tourism economy remains underdeveloped, limiting its potential contribution to employment, small business growth and local investment.
Provincial authorities have long acknowledged the need to boost domestic tourism through events, township experiences, and rural tourism routes.
However, progress has been uneven, and the latest data shows that the province continues to rely heavily on visiting friends and relatives – a travel segment that contributes little to local business turnover. – Staff Reporter