Committee Briefed on SA Tourism’s Preparedness to Host Visitors Attending International Events, Including G20 Participate in Parliament

The Portfolio Committee on Tourism received a briefing from South African Tourism on its preparation in the runup to various international events, including South Africa’s hosting of the countries attending the G20 Summit later in 2025 and the work of the tourism work programme in this regard.

Among other things, the committee appealed to the department to ensure that economic opportunities associated with the Summit and other international events are extended to black businesses and small and micro enterprises (SMMEs) from previously disadvantaged communities. The committee also called for the department to hold workshops to empower these sectors.

The committee also expressed its concerns and requested details about how the department will ensure that the G20 tourism plan is implemented effectively on the ground and how its successes will be measured.

The Tourism Minister, Ms Patricia de Lille, who led the departmental delegation, assured the committee that the government is treating the G20 Presidency with extreme seriousness: “The hosting of the G20 summit is a huge opportunity for the country and preparations at all levels of government are underway,” she said, while structures are in place to coordinate activities at national level.

These efforts are led by the Department of International Relations and an interministerial committee. The Department of Tourism will use the opportunity to showcase the country’s rich tourism opportunities, Ms de Lille said. “It is a huge opportunity for our country, as we are the first country on the African continent to host the G20. We are very excited and we are ready,” she added.

The G20 plan is being implemented in collaboration with all partners, including the Department of Tourism, SAT, Tourism Business Council and the host province of Mpumalanga, which is represented by the Premier and the Head of the provincial department. The partners meet on a weekly basis, the department said.

The theme of the G20 Summit is “Solidarity, Equality and Sustainable Development”, which flows into the four tourism priorities for South Africa’s G20 2025 Presidency. These priorities include people-centred artificial intelligence and innovation to enhance travel and tourism start-ups and SMMES; tourism financing and investment to enhance equality and promote sustainable development; air connectivity for seamless travel; and enhanced resilience for inclusive, sustainable tourism development.

The department explained that tourism within G20 is championed by a Tourism Working Group, whose objective is to position tourism as a driver of economic, social and environmental change. The working group also seeks to explore the potential for tourism to support economic recovery and position tourism to transition to a green economy. The working group also aims to articulate and communicate the economic and development case for tourism and mainstream the travel and tourism sector’s voice in the global agenda by building a more effective voice for the sector. Another goal of the working group is to mobilise collective effort among tourism ministers to build a sensible tourism policy framework that will help influence country-level and international economic and development policies.

The department also said in the briefing that it will be hosting various G20 Tourism Working Group meetings in Durban and Mpumalanga between March and September, including a G20 tourism ministers’ meeting and a tourism financing and investment summit, which will be hosted by Minister de Lille. These events aim to promote tourism as an economic driver for inclusive and sustainable growth and to foster cooperation among G20 countries to address various challenges in the tourism sector. They further aim to highlight South Africa’s tourism potential, promote investment and public–private partnerships in the sector, and align the tourism programme with G20 priorities to enhance community participation, sustainability and sector resilience.

In addition, during South Africa’s G20 2025 Presidency, all nine provinces will be showcased on the website www.g20.org.

Source: SA Parliament