International tourism, number of arrivals in Botswana
Botswana: International tourism, number of arrivals was 1.83 million in 2018. ▲ Rising
International tourism, number of arrivals in Botswana, 1995–2018
Source: Yearbook of Tourism Statistics, Compendium of Tourism Statistics and data files, UN Tourism.
Analysis
In 2018, international tourism, number of arrivals in Botswana stood at 1.83 million.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.1% on the previous year and down 21.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, international tourism, number of arrivals in Botswana peaked at 2.34 million in 2008 and was at its lowest, 636,000, in 1995.
That places Botswana 73rd out of 201 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 18 years of available data.
International tourism, number of arrivals in Botswana, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 636,000 | — |
| 1996 | 656,000 | +3.1% |
| 1997 | 765,000 | +16.6% |
| 1998 | 940,000 | +22.9% |
| 1999 | 1.04 million | +10.5% |
| 2000 | 1.31 million | +25.7% |
| 2001 | 1.45 million | +11.1% |
| 2002 | 1.49 million | +2.3% |
| 2003 | 1.59 million | +7.2% |
| 2004 | 1.73 million | +8.5% |
| 2005 | 1.68 million | -2.5% |
| 2006 | 1.64 million | -2.5% |
| 2007 | 1.97 million | +19.7% |
| 2008 | 2.34 million | +19.3% |
| 2015 | 1.66 million | -29.2% |
| 2016 | 1.71 million | +3.1% |
| 2017 | 1.77 million | +3.7% |
| 2018 | 1.83 million | +3.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 807,200 | 636,000 | 1.04 million | 5 |
| 2000s | 1.69 million | 1.31 million | 2.34 million | 9 |
| 2010s | 1.74 million | 1.66 million | 1.83 million | 4 |
Countries ranked near Botswana
More private sector data for Botswana
- Merchandise trade 57.8% (2025)
- Food imports 16.2% (2023)
- Manufactures imports 61.8% (2023)
- Merchandise imports 6.39 billion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 1.9% (2023)
- Manufactures exports 86.3% (2023)
- Merchandise exports 5.12 billion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 1,998 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.2569 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), annual growth rate 9.73 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is international tourism, number of arrivals in Botswana?
- International tourism, number of arrivals in Botswana was 1.83 million in 2018, according to Yearbook of Tourism Statistics, Compendium of Tourism Statistics and data files, UN Tourism.
- What is the highest international tourism, number of arrivals recorded in Botswana?
- The highest recorded value was 2.34 million in 2008.
- What is the lowest international tourism, number of arrivals recorded in Botswana?
- The lowest recorded value was 636,000 in 1995.
- How does Botswana rank for international tourism, number of arrivals?
- Botswana ranks 73rd out of 201 countries with data for 2018.
- Is international tourism, number of arrivals rising or falling in Botswana?
- Over the last ten years it is down 21.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Botswana data come from?
- The figures come from Yearbook of Tourism Statistics, Compendium of Tourism Statistics and data files, UN Tourism, published as part of International tourism, number of arrivals. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 18 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
International inbound tourists (overnight visitors) are the number of tourists who travel to a country other than that in which they have their usual residence, but outside their usual environment, for a period not exceeding 12 months and whose main purpose in visiting is other than an activity remunerated from within the country visited. When data on number of tourists are not available, the number of visitors, which includes tourists, same-day visitors, cruise passengers, and crew members, is shown instead. Sources and collection methods for arrivals differ across countries. In some cases data are from border statistics (police, immigration, and the like) and supplemented by border surveys. In other cases data are from tourism accommodation establishments. For some countries number of arrivals is limited to arrivals by air and for others to arrivals staying in hotels. Some countries include arrivals of nationals residing abroad while others do not. Caution should thus be used in comparing arrivals across countries. The data on inbound tourists refer to the number of arrivals, not to the number of people traveling. Thus a person who makes several trips to a country during a given period is counted each time as a new arrival.