Over the past 36 hours, I’ve been texting back and forth with Karen, providing support as they’ve had layovers on their way to South Africa. They had an over ten-hour layover in London, more than we had with nine hours almost two weeks ago when we returned to South Africa from the US.

They have just arrived in Joburg with a three-hour layover and will then fly on Airlink to Mpumalanga/Nelspruit/Kruger Airport. They should arrive here in about five hours.

Given that it takes almost two full days to travel from the US to South Africa and back, we’ve often discussed how few Americans we’ve met in the bush over the years. Considering that travelers from the US spend almost four days traveling to and from South Africa, it’s no wonder that we rarely encounter Americans in Marloth Park.

Often, Americans book their flights and accommodations through a travel company; they rarely know about Marloth Park and thus promote it. On rare occasions when we meet Americans, we often ask them how they discovered Marloth Park. In most cases, it was through someone they knew who had been here.

Additionally, when Americans visit this general area, they typically end up booking one of the tented camps in Kruger National Park, which offer a range of accommodations from luxury to basic, with options in between. Typically, they spend three to five days in Kruger and then take off for tours in and around Johannesburg or Cape Town.

Alternatively, if they have time constraints, such as returning home for work or other obligations, they may stay for a total of ten days and then return to the US.

Of course, many of our readers and friends who have come to Marloth Park after reading our posts have stayed for extended periods, like us. However, we’ve never known anyone who has spent as much time in Marloth Park as we’ve, other than those who have purchased homes here and become permanent residents, including South Africans from various locations and citizens of different countries who have come here and fallen in love with it.

Here’s an updated overview of how many Americans travel to various countries each year, including South Africa:

U.S. International Travel Statistics

🔹 Overall U.S. Outbound Travel

• Nearly 100 million Americans traveled abroad in 2023, similar to pre-pandemic levels (~98 million in 2019).

🔹 Popular Destinations (U.S. Visitors per Year)

• In 2023, 353,975 Americans visited South Africa (Jan–Dec) — a 35–40% increase from 2022 news24.com+14sanews.gov.za+14www-statista-com.ezproxy.canberra.edu.au+14.

• In 2024, the U.S. remained South Africa’s top overseas market, with 372,362 arrivals, up 5.2% from 2023. (Source: sanews.gov.za, +4gov. za, +4travelandtourworld. com)

• 

Regional Summary

• North America (Mexico + Canada): ~50 million U.S. tourists annually.

• Europe (UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain): ~20 million.

• Asia (Japan, South Korea, others): ~4 million.

• South Africa: ~0.37 million in 2024, ranking among the top long-haul destinations from the U.S.

• Caribbean & Central America (Dominican Republic, etc.): ~3 million.

Key Insights

1. Nearly 100 million Americans travel internationally each year.

2. Mexico and Canada are the dominant destinations, with approximately 50 million U.S. visitors combined.

3. Europe draws around 20 million, led by the UK, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain.

4. Asia is gaining, with ~4 million, including around 3 million to Japan.

5. South Africa, as a long-haul destination, welcomed ~370,000 Americans in 2024.

6. Dominican Republic attracts around 3 million U.S. tourists annually.

We’ll be back tomorrow with more and will continue to post while Karen and Rich are visiting.

Be well.

Photo from ten years ago today, June 28, 2015: