Tourism in Lesotho

Tourism in Lesotho is a growing industry in the country.

In 2013, travel and tourism contributed about 5.5% to the GDP of Lesotho, with this proportion expected to increase to 6.1% of GDP by 2024.[1] The sector employed 25,000 people in 2013, 4.6% of total national employment.[1]

Residents of South Africa, which completely surrounds Lesotho, make up over 90% of the visitors to the country. Many trips are to visit friends and family.[1]

Various outdoor pursuits form the most popular leisure activities for tourists in the country. The mountainous terrain draws tourists for hiking, pony trekking and skiing, as well as the use of four-wheel drive trails. The Afriski ski resort operates during the winter months.

The most used entry-points into Lesotho include Moshoeshoe I International Airport and the land border crossing points of Maseru and Maputsoe.[2]

Tourism in the country is overseen by the Ministry of Tourism, Environment & Culture, based in the capital, Maseru.

Arrivals by country

Most visitors arriving to Lesotho on short term basis in 2013 were from the following countries of nationality:[3]

Rank Country Number
1 South Africa 397,696
2 Netherlands 4,870
3 Germany 4,726
4 Zimbabwe 3,785
5 United States 2,679
6 United Kingdom 2,380
7 Botswana 2,200
8 China 1,360
9 Swaziland 1,332
10 Zambia 855
Total foreign arrivals 432,966

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Tourism". The Lesotho Review. Retrieved 2015-10-31.
  2. ↑ Camillo, Angelo A. (17 August 2015). "Points and Means of Tourist Entry into Lesotho". Handbook of Research on Global Hospitality and Tourism Management. IGI Global. pp. 314–. ISBN 978-1-4666-8607-6.
  3. ↑
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.