South Africa's Tourism Minister Tables Budget Vote
South Africa's Minister of Tourism, Patricia de Lille, has tabled Budget Vote 38 for the 2026/27 financial year, with the Department of Tourism allocated R2.54 billion - of which R1.278 billion will be transferred to South African Tourism for destination marketing and sector growth. Delivering her speech in Parliament on 26 May 2026, de Lille confirmed that South Africa welcomed a record 10.5 million international arrivals in 2025, with more than 2.9 million inbound travellers recorded in the first quarter of 2026 alone, representing 12.6% growth year-on-year. Tourism's contribution to GDP reached 4.9% in 2024, sustaining 954,000 direct jobs - equivalent to one in every 18 positions in the national economy.
Key initiatives outlined under the Tourism Growth Partnership Plan include visa reform, with the Electronic Travel Authorisation system now live in China, India, Indonesia and Mexico, offering digital visa outcomes within 24 hours. New air routes between Johannesburg and Perth, Cape Town and Mauritius, and Madrid and Johannesburg are expanding connectivity, while infrastructure investment continues with the recently opened R82 million Agulhas Lighthouse Precinct and the Kgodumodumo Dinosaur Interpretation Centre in the Free State. The department also confirmed R56.3 million in EPWP funding to support flood recovery at tourism facilities in Limpopo and Mpumalanga. By 2030, the government is targeting 15 million international arrivals, R115.2 billion in international tourist spend, and one million direct tourism jobs.
Source: South African Government News