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Tourism is the heartbeat of South Africa's economic recovery. It is an industry that creates jobs, connects people, and showcases our nation's unparalleled beauty and culture.
The 2024 general elections in South Africa ushered in a Government of National Unity (GNU) built on the foundation of collaboration. This spirit of unity continues to guide our efforts as we drive the growth of the tourism sector. The key priorities of the GNU include driving inclusive growth and job creation, reducing poverty, tackling the high cost of living, and building a capable, ethical state.
The Medium-Term Development Plan for the period 2024 to 2029 positions tourism as an essential component of inclusive growth, poverty reduction, and state development, ensuring that efforts align with South Africa’s broader development agenda. Our plans as a tourism portfolio align with these national priorities, including the objectives of the Tourism Sector Masterplan and the National Tourism Sector Strategy.
In this regard, South African Tourism will discharge its mandate to effectively market South Africa as a destination locally and internationally. We are also investing in our digital infrastructure to enhance our tourism offering. I am proud to see the South African tourism industry embracing new technologies like artificial intelligence (AI).
The Tourism Growth Partnership Plan 2025-2030 shows that opportunity lies before us. It provides a unique and exciting five-year window to plan for a real tourism breakthrough collectively. The plan prioritises creating jobs and developing industry-required skills and gives new impetus to increasing the number of international, regional, and domestic travellers. To this end, in addition to creating jobs, we all agree to actively collaborate with our industry to jointly market South Africa internationally, on the African continent, and here at home.
We are pleased with the progress already made in making it easier for tourists to apply for visas, but further technological advances are needed for us to compete internationally. There is an urgent need to remove friction in the licensing procedures for tour operators. The recent Cabinet approval of the Tourism Route Development Marketing Programme allows us to improve air connectivity to and in South Africa.
We are forging strong partnerships with various sectors and departments to improve the visa regime, enhance safety, increase airlift capacity, and promote investment in tourism infrastructure. This is important as we strive to remove barriers to travel and improve the visitor experience. A focus on responsible tourism practices will underpin our efforts, ensuring that tourism thrives today and leaves a lasting legacy for future generations.
While the private sector drives growth in tourism, the government's role is to create the conditions and environment conducive to the private sector's creation of jobs. The economy is about demand and supply, and the government’s role in the tourism sector is to provide supply.
Through our plans over the next five years, the tourism portfolio will drive initiatives that create greater parity in the tourism sector, especially for women, youth, and persons with disabilities. Equally important is transformation in the sector. Our strategic outlook for the next five years is ambitious yet achievable, provided we all work together to continue to build and transform our sector.
Tourism is the heartbeat of South Africa's economic recovery. It is an industry that creates jobs, connects people, and showcases our nation's unparalleled beauty and culture.
The 2024 general elections in South Africa ushered in a Government of National Unity (GNU) built on the foundation of collaboration. This spirit of unity continues to guide our efforts as we drive the growth of the tourism sector. The key priorities of the GNU include driving inclusive growth and job creation, reducing poverty, tackling the high cost of living, and building a capable, ethical state.
The Medium-Term Development Plan for the period 2024 to 2029 positions tourism as an essential component of inclusive growth, poverty reduction, and state development, ensuring that efforts align with South Africa’s broader development agenda. Our plans as a tourism portfolio align with these national priorities, including the objectives of the Tourism Sector Masterplan and the National Tourism Sector Strategy.
In this regard, South African Tourism will discharge its mandate to effectively market South Africa as a destination locally and internationally. We are also investing in our digital infrastructure to enhance our tourism offering. I am proud to see the South African tourism industry embracing new technologies like artificial intelligence (AI).
The Tourism Growth Partnership Plan 2025-2030 shows that opportunity lies before us. It provides a unique and exciting five-year window to plan for a real tourism breakthrough collectively. The plan prioritises creating jobs and developing industry-required skills and gives new impetus to increasing the number of international, regional, and domestic travellers. To this end, in addition to creating jobs, we all agree to actively collaborate with our industry to jointly market South Africa internationally, on the African continent, and here at home.
We are pleased with the progress already made in making it easier for tourists to apply for visas, but further technological advances are needed for us to compete internationally. There is an urgent need to remove friction in the licensing procedures for tour operators. The recent Cabinet approval of the Tourism Route Development Marketing Programme allows us to improve air connectivity to and in South Africa.
We are forging strong partnerships with various sectors and departments to improve the visa regime, enhance safety, increase airlift capacity, and promote investment in tourism infrastructure. This is important as we strive to remove barriers to travel and improve the visitor experience. A focus on responsible tourism practices will underpin our efforts, ensuring that tourism thrives today and leaves a lasting legacy for future generations.
While the private sector drives growth in tourism, the government's role is to create the conditions and environment conducive to the private sector's creation of jobs. The economy is about demand and supply, and the government’s role in the tourism sector is to provide supply.
Through our plans over the next five years, the tourism portfolio will drive initiatives that create greater parity in the tourism sector, especially for women, youth, and persons with disabilities. Equally important is transformation in the sector. Our strategic outlook for the next five years is ambitious yet achievable, provided we all work together to continue to build and transform our sector.
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