South Africa’s greatest natural assets, from Table Mountain to the bushveld, are officially at the heart of the country’s new growth push. Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille has welcomed the launch of Phase Three of the Government-Business Partnership, which names tourism as one of the key sectors to drive inclusive economic growth, job creation and confidence, SAnews reports.
President Cyril Ramaphosa launched Phase Three on Friday with an immediate target of lifting economic growth above 3%, and tourism, agriculture and agro-processing, and mining have been prioritised for their power to attract investment, earn foreign revenue and create jobs at scale.
Why Tourism Earned Its Seat at the Table
The numbers make a compelling case. According to Statistics South Africa’s Tourism Satellite Account, the sector supported 954 000 direct jobs in 2024 and contributed 4.9% of gross domestic product, a bigger slice of the economy than agriculture, utilities or construction, the Department of Tourism notes.
For a sector built on the country’s beauty, heritage and hospitality, that is a remarkable engine of livelihoods, and government believes it can grow much bigger.
The Growth Checklist
Under Phase Three, government has identified the key areas that will get focused attention to help tourism soar:
- Improved air access to bring more visitors directly to South African runways
- Faster, more modern visa processing
- Stronger destination marketing to keep Mzansi top of travellers’ wish lists
- Enhanced tourist safety
- Increased investment in tourism infrastructure
De Lille said these priorities dovetail neatly with the Cabinet-endorsed Tourism Growth Partnership Plan, which already unites government and the private sector around ease of access, coordinated destination marketing, safety, product development and job creation.
From Plans to Progress You Can Measure
This is not a strategy left to gather dust. A Project Management Office has been established, and a dashboard now tracks progress against the sector’s macroeconomic targets across its workstreams.
“Operation Vulindlela now gives us an opportunity to bring greater momentum, coordination and accountability to this work as we continue to demonstrate that tourism policy is economic policy,” De Lille said.
The Department of Tourism says it will work with the Presidency, other departments and the private sector to turn Phase Three’s priorities into measurable outcomes. With nearly a million South Africans already earning a living from visitors, and the world’s travellers increasingly looking our way, the welcome mat has never been bigger.
Source: SAnews.gov.za
Photo: commons.wikimedia.org
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