President Cyril Ramaphosa and Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille sign declaration to grow Africa's tourism economy at Africa Travel Indaba 2026.
Image: Supplied
Africa’s premier tourism trade show, Africa Travel Indaba 2026, has officially opened at the Durban International Convention Centre, bringing together tourism leaders, exhibitors and buyers from across the globe under the theme 'Africa Unlimited'.
The official opening was attended by President Cyril Ramaphosa, Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille, Deputy Tourism Minister Maggie Sotyu, KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thami Ntuli, KZN MEC for Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs Rev. Musa Zondi and eThekwini Mayor Cyril Xaba.
This year’s Indaba is one of the strongest in the event’s history, with 22 African countries exhibiting, 16 African tourism boards represented, 1,225 exhibitors and 999 buyers from 44 countries in attendance.
The expanded Airline Pavilion also features 18 airlines.
In her welcome address, De Lille highlighted tourism’s growing contribution to South Africa’s economy, describing the sector as a critical driver of jobs, investment and infrastructure development.
“Tourism policy is economic policy. Tourism is an economic catalyst and impacts and changes many, many lives,” she said.
According to the minister, tourism created 954 000 direct jobs in 2024 and contributed 4.9% to South Africa’s GDP.
She also revealed that the country welcomed a record 10.5 million visitors in 2025.
“We are no longer speaking about recovery. We are speaking about growth,” she told delegates.
A key moment during the opening ceremony was the signing of the Africa Travel Indaba pledge by President Ramaphosa and De Lille, committing to grow Africa’s tourism economy and promote the continent’s stories globally.
They said: “Today, we pledge to grow Africa’s tourism economy, to tell our stories and together build a better Africa and a better world.”
The minister also highlighted several major tourism investments already underway across South Africa.
These include a R24 billion investment at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town, a R10.5 billion investment in the Cape Winelands Airport and the R2.5 billion Club Med Beach and Safari Resort on KwaZulu-Natal’s north coast, which is expected to open in July.
“All of these investments demonstrate confidence in our country and confidence in our continent,” she said.
De Lille further outlined government-led tourism infrastructure projects, including the R82 million upgrade of the Cape Agulhas Lighthouse precinct and the launch of the Kgodumodumo Dinosaur Interpretation Centre at the Golden Gate Highlands National Park.
Looking ahead, she announced that Africa Travel Indaba will undergo a major revamp in 2027 to adapt to changing global travel trends.
“We are calling for proposals from the creative sector and tourism sector to join us in this journey to revamp Africa Travel Indaba for 2027,” she said.