President Cyril Ramaphosa and Minister of Tourism, Patricia de Lille, with eThekwini Mayor Cyril Xaba and KZN MEC for Economic Development Rev. Musa Zondi in the background at the first day of Africa’s Travel Indaba on Tuesday at Durban’s ICC.
Image: GCIS
Tourism emerged as a central pillar of South Africa’s economic growth and job creation strategy during the opening day of Africa’s Travel Indaba (ATI) on Tuesday, with President Cyril Ramaphosa calling for deeper regional integration and easier travel across the continent.
In his keynote address, Ramaphosa said South Africa was working with neighbouring countries to advance the Southern African Development Community Tourism UNIVISA initiative, which aims to create seamless travel across SADC member states.
Ramaphosa said that when Africans travel within Africa, they strengthen their economies, deepen cultural ties and build a more integrated continent. He highlighted tourism’s growing contribution to the domestic economy, noting that the sector supports nearly one million direct jobs in South Africa.
“According to Statistics South Africa, the tourism sector accounts for nearly one million direct jobs in this country. This means that around one in 18 workers is directly employed in tourism,” he said.
“‘Africa’s Travel Indaba has become one of the most powerful platforms for tourism growth on the continent. Last year, about 10,000 delegates gathered here in Durban and more than 1,300 exhibitors showcased the best of African tourism.”
Ramaphosa said the region had experienced growth in airline seat capacity over the past year, driven largely by African and Asian travel routes as demand for travel to Southern Africa increased.
“These developments are part of a broader continental movement, a recognition that Africa’s future lies in being connected to itself and to the world,” he said.
Ramaphosa added that South Africa was strengthening tourism marketing efforts in high-growth outbound travel markets, including China, India, Southeast Asia, Mexico and Brazil.
“Our new visa reforms, including the Electronic Traveller Authorisation system and the Digital Nomad Visa, are designed to make travel easier and more seamless,” he said.
“We are reminded at this time that we are called to bring Africans closer together. We do so within the framework of the African Union’s African 2063 agenda which aims to enable all citizens in the continent to move freely. We do so to advance the African Continental Free Trade Area, which seeks to drive commerce, investment and trade between African countries.”
Meanwhile, the Minister of Tourism Patricia de Lille said the sector was moving beyond post-pandemic recovery and entering a new growth phase.
"According to the recently released Statistics South Africa Satellite Account, by 2024 the Tourism sector is expected to account for 954,000 direct jobs and contribute 4.9% to the country’s GDP," she said.
“And with a record-breaking 10.5 million international arrivals in 2025, we are no longer speaking recovery, we are speaking growth.”
De Lille said government and the private sector were working together through the Tourism Growth Partnership Plan approved by Cabinet in 2025 to diversify tourism offerings and attract investment.
She pointed to several major tourism infrastructure projects currently under way, including the R24 billion expansion of the V&A Waterfront, a R10.5 billion investment into Winelands Airport and the R2.1 billion Club Med Beach and Safari resort in KwaZulu-Natal scheduled to open in July.
De Lille also highlighted the recent redevelopment of the Cape Agulhas Lighthouse precinct, which received an R82 million investment aimed at improving tourism facilities.
“We will host the World Economic Forum special meeting as well as the Cricket World Cup, together with our neighbours Zimbabwe and Namibia,” she said.
“With the change in traveller trends, this would require a reevaluation of how we sell our tourism products and what we say about ourselves in Africa,In response, Africa’s Travel Indaba will go through a revamp.”
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