With South African tourism providing entry into Africa, especially through business tourism opportunities, the sector deserves more support and recognition, says Tourism Minister Tokozile Xasa, who spoke at the second Gauteng Infrastructure Investment Conference on Friday.
“The prospects for growing and transforming our economy are significantly enhanced through tourism opportunities,” she said, adding that the sector was already contributing 9% to South Africa’s gross domestic product (GDP).
Xasa further noted that, with tourism offering 700 000 direct jobs, the sector had made a positive contribution to the country.
She revealed that South Africa had recorded an 8% increase in tourism and that the sector itself was key in diversifying not only South Africa’s, but also Africa’s GDP stream.
“There were 1.2-billion tourists globally in 2016, however, Africa only saw a market share of 5% of that. We need to up our game and ensure that we bring in more numbers; the potential is there,” she said.
Xasa added that the sector’s economic contributions presented an opportunity for other 9 Point Plan sectors such as agriculture and manufacturing, among others.
“We are working with other departments and coordinating with local and provincial government to enhance the social and economic benefits of the sector,” she said.
Xasa stated that the department has drafted a new ten-year plan that will be finalised soon, aiming to achieve 200% growth targets.
“We want the tourism sector to make a better contribution to GDP and, indirectly, we think that by the year 2026, our contribution to GDP will be just under R1-trillion, which will create a further 300 000 jobs,” she concluded.