The Kingdom of Eswatini welcomed 92,438 international visitors in January 2026, a 7.9% increase compared to the same month in 2025.
This growth, reported by the Eswatini Tourism Authority (ETA), marks a significant milestone as arrivals exceeded pre-pandemic levels (January 2019) by 0.6%.
According to Travel&Tour World, this is a positive indicator of the recovery of the tourism industry in Eswatini, which is close to the pre-COVID-19 levels. Despite the challenges faced globally in the past years, which have affected tourism, the increase in the number of visitors is an indicator of the demand for the cultural and natural resources of the country.
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However, the performance of the regions was not uniform, with substantial increases in certain regions, such as the Middle East, Africa, and Asia and the Pacific. Conversely, the number of visitors from Europe and the Americas recorded a decrease. Eswatini saw impressive growth from various regions, notably the Middle East, which recorded an extraordinary 52.6% increase in visitor numbers. Israel, Saudi Arabia, and Iran were among the key contributors to this surge. The country also benefited from increased arrivals from Africa, with a 9.5% rise in visitors, primarily driven by South Africa and Mozambique, which remain Eswatini’s largest source markets. The Asian and Pacific regions also saw modest growth of 2.3%, thanks to an increase in visitors from the Philippines (+94.7%), China (+48.1%), and Taiwan (+4.6%).
While Africa and Asia performed well, the Americas and Europe showed negative growth. Visitors from the Americas decreased by 4.2%, with notable declines from Canada, which dropped 48.7%. Conversely, Brazil saw a 43.4% increase, and the United States experienced a slight growth of 0.8%. In Europe, arrivals declined by 13.6%, with notable decreases from countries such as France, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and the UK. However, Norway (+45.0%), Portugal (+27.3%), and Italy (+13.6%) showed positive growth, providing some hope for Eswatini’s European market recovery.
As expected, South Africa remained the largest source of visitors to Eswatini, contributing 58,721 arrivals (+3.8%). Mozambique followed as the second-largest market, with 16,137 visitors, marking a significant growth of 19.2%. Zimbabwe also showed strong performance with a 26.9% increase in visitors. Within Africa, several other countries saw notable growth, such as Malawi, which experienced a 148.2% increase, Tanzania (+27.3%), and Botswana (+15.5%). These rising numbers suggest an increasing interest in Eswatini as a regional tourism destination, especially from neighboring African nations.
