Cape Town - The end of last year saw an increase of 10,3 percent in income generated by accommodation in South Africa, Statistics South Africa reported on Monday.
However, this was not due to a rise in the number of tourists, but rather a rise in the price of accommodation.
Stats SA released data that showed that the number of accommodation units, or rooms sold, dropped by 1,5 percent from November 2014 compared to November 2015.
More expensive accommodation resulted in a 12 percent rise in the average income made by each room.
The main contributors to the overall rise in accommodation revenue were hotels, which contributed almost R3,5 billion in the three months leading up to and including November 2015.
When it comes to the kind of accommodation that tourists prefer, Stats SA said that guesthouses and guest farms were the leading accommodation of choice.
Stats SA said the types of accommodation that recorded positive year-on-year growth in income from accommodation in November 2015 were guesthouses and guest farms with gains of 17,5 percent, followed by "other" accommodation taking 10,9 percent and hotels 9,4 percent.
The total income for the tourist accommodation industry, measured in current prices, increased by 10,3 percent year-on-year in November 2015, an increase of 6,5 percent compared with November 2014.
Tourism minister Derek Hanekom last week said 2015 was a turbulent year for the tourism sector, but he said he was delighted that the year ended with South African tourism establishments enjoying a successful holiday season, especially those in the coastal regions, which were "filled to the brim" with visitors.
There had been concerns about the possible impact on tourism by more stringent visa laws, which were implemented by the Department of Home Affairs last year.
African News Agency (ANA)