By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has reaffirmed his commitment to unlocking the vast potential of the country’s tourism sector, leveraging its stunning natural landscapes and rich cultural heritage to foster inclusive and sustainable economic growth.
In his weekly newsletter, Ramaphosa said that government is scaling up a range of tourism promotion strategies to restore inbound tourism figures to pre-pandemic levels.
He said these strategies included an improved tourism visa regime, streamlining the tour operator licence process, increased investment in tourism infrastructure and services, and improving safety and security at tourism sites.
Following a slump in tourism numbers because of the Covid-19 pandemic, inbound tourism is on the rise. In 2023, South Africa recorded around 8.5-million international tourist arrivals. These visitors spent over R95-billion,” he said.
“Last year, the World Economic Forum ranked South Africa as Africa’s premier tourism destination. It said this was due to factors such as our business operating environment, information technology, and tourism infrastructure and services.”
Ramaphosa also highlighted his country will host the first-ever G20 Summit on African soil this year. “We will use this opportunity to profile and actively promote South Africa as a tourism destination of choice,” he said.
The president cited United Nations Tourism data as saying that the G20 economies represent over 70 percent of international tourist arrivals worldwide and 82 percent of tourism’s global gross domestic product.
“Just as Brazil did last year during its hosting of the G20 Summit, South Africa will promote the role of tourism in creating jobs and advancing sustainable development in the countries of the Global South,” said Ramaphosa.
“By working together as government, business and communities, we can ensure that the natural splendor of our country becomes a driver of economic growth, job creation, and shared prosperity.”
In October last year, Minister of Tourism Patricia de Lille released a new White Paper on the Development and Promotion of Tourism in South Africa, which Ramaphosa said would guide government’s approach to building a sustainable, competitive and inclusive tourism industry.
“Tourism is a growth area for small business development. In line with the global shift towards sustainability, figures from South African Tourism show that increasing numbers of new tourism ventures are centred around sustainable tourism and eco-friendly business practices,” he explained.
South Africa’s natural endowment was an integral part of the country’s national heritage, he said. “It is an asset to our economy that every year draws millions of tourists from around the world to our shores.
Beyond the substantial natural resource endowments of our beaches, national parks and biodiversity conservation areas, cultural and heritage tourism is also thriving in South Africa,” he added.