SA Trade Desk Trends – December 2025
2025 has been a pivotal year for discussions around trade relationships with South Africa’s key
trading partners.
From shifting global supply chains to renewed strategic dialogues with major economies across
Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas, the trade landscape is evolving at pace. Against a backdrop of
geopolitical realignments, rising protectionism in some markets, and deepened regional cooperation
in others, South African exporters and policymakers alike are recalibrating priorities to seize emerging
opportunities and mitigate risks. These developments underscore why timely, data-driven analysis is
more critical than ever.
At the SA Trade Desk, we monitor and analyse trends and data on a monthly basis to equip
stakeholders with actionable insights into these dynamic conversations. By tracking trade flows, policy
shifts, and market sentiment across our platform, we aim to illuminate the key developments shaping
South Africa’s trade relationships. Whether it’s evolving demand from China, new market access in
the European Union, or strengthened intra-African trade under the AfCFTA, our monthly analysis
helps decision-makers stay informed and responsive in an increasingly interconnected global
economy.
What are our digital channels telling us about trade trends?
As a data-driven organisation, we look to analyse our digital channels for insights into what search
phrases and content is most popular.
Our top 2 pieces of content over the month of December:
- OPPORTUNITY: SA Tourism enterprises invited to apply for support to exhibit at ITB Berlin 2026
- OPPORTUNITY: EUR100 000 for your start-up
If we look at the most popular search phrases and keyword analysis, we find above average volumes
for the following searches:
- “Spencer West South Africa”
- “South Africa chrome export policy 2025”
- “South Africa commercial property market trends 2025”
- “South Africa tourism”
The chrome export policy has been a standout talking point in South Africa as a number of the
smelting operations have been engaging with government around their viability in the face of
unaffordable and unreliable energy supply. With a number of players indicating that they would shutter
operations, government has stepped in at the last minute to propose industry support.
Tourism and agriculture have had standout 2026 years
South Africa’s tourism and agriculture sectors have quietly emerged as two of the economy’s most
resilient performers, acting as unsung heroes during a period marked by global uncertainty, logistics
constraints and domestic structural challenges. While much of the economic narrative has focused on
energy, infrastructure and industrial reform, these sectors have continued to deliver tangible gains in
employment, foreign exchange earnings and regional development. Tourism, in particular, has
demonstrated a robust rebound, reinforcing its role as a critical driver of inclusive growth and a
powerful showcase for South Africa on the global stage.
This recovery is clearly reflected in the latest data released by Statistics South Africa (StatsSA). A
comparison between November 2024 and November 2025 shows a strong increase in travel volumes
across arrivals, departures and transits for both South African residents and foreign travellers. Arrivals
by South African residents rose by 18.4%, while foreign traveller arrivals surged by 26%,
underscoring renewed confidence in South Africa as a destination for both leisure and business
travel. Departures and transit movements recorded similarly strong growth, pointing to deeper
integration into global travel and trade networks.
The strength of the tourism rebound is further illustrated by the performance of the cruise sector.
According to the Cruise Cape Town report, powered by Wesgro, the 2024/25 cruise season was the
longest and most successful on record. Between September 2024 and June 2025, the Cape Town
Cruise Terminal hosted 83 ship calls, an 18% increase year-on-year, while passenger numbers
climbed 16% to 127,000. Passenger and vessel spending reached R1.99 billion, up 32% from the
previous season, highlighting the growing economic impact of tourism-related activity. Together with
agriculture’s continued export performance, these trends reinforce the importance of supporting
sectors that consistently deliver value, even when they do so without headline attention.
Thank you for the support in shaping a narrative around SA’s trade trends
As we continue to build SA Trade Desk as a trusted platform for insight and analysis, we would like to
thank our readers, contributors and stakeholders for their support following our launch this year.
The strong engagement we have seen reinforces the importance of informed, balanced discussion
around South Africa’s trade relationships at a time of significant global change.
We look forward to deepening our engagement with partners, industry leaders and policymakers in
the months ahead, and to collaborating on conversations that matter most to South Africa’s key
trading partners and the future of the country’s trade and economic growth.
Please do not hesitate to reach out to us if you wish to discuss content, thought leadership and other
opportunities.
