The tourist boom, welcomed by a people united in their desire for international approval, allowed South Africa to make giant strides in catching up with the outside world. More international tour groups started operating. Even Pretoria, that most uptight of South African cities during the apartheid era, is getting its first five-star hotel in several years, after having downgraded its luxury hotels during the dark days of apartheid when few visitors could be found. Though the tourism boom that initially greeted apartheid's fall has tapered significantly, South Africa's climate, its natural attractions, its physical and economic development and its cultural and political changes still allow the country to boast of tourism growth above the international average. Tourists have not been especially targeted by crime, and a South African Tourism Board survey of 2,700 foreign visitors last year revealed that only 2 percent had been the victim of a crime, though 56 percent feared for their personal safety.
African tourists make up the bulk of foreigners visiting South Africa.
Foreigners from overseas were led last year by the United Kingdom, Germany and the United States. The United States accounts for only 10 percent of overseas visitors here, with 114,799 visitors last year, which was an 11 percent increase from the previous year. South Africa tourism officials hope to increase U.S. tourism here, especially from the lagging African American market, by touting South Africa's many cultural experiences. Cape Town has become a magnet for international modeling agencies, much like Miami Beach a few years ago. Tour buses flock from Cape Town down to the Cape Point, an hour's drive to the south.