As per the tourism minister Patricia de Lille, 66 international and regional conferences secured for South Africa will likely contribute more than 1.2 billion rand to the economy between 2025 and 2030 as the Cyril Ramaphosa government continues to invest in infrastructure, air connectivity, and destination development to grow and transform the sector as the African nation’s growth engine.
Delivering the Department of Tourism’s “2026 Budget Vote” in the National Council of Provinces, De Lille outlined a 2.54 billion rand budget aimed at expanding tourism opportunities across South African provinces, townships, villages, and small towns.
The nation recorded a record 10.5 million international arrivals in 2025, supported by initiatives including the “Smart Visitor Information Centre” at OR Tambo International Airport and the cabinet-approved “Tourism Route Development Marketing Plan,” which aims to increase direct international air connectivity.
The tourism minister also announced Spain’s Air Europa launching its inaugural Madrid-Johannesburg service on 2nd July, operating three flights a week.
As per de Lille, the South African National Convention Bureau secured 66 international and regional conferences during the 2025/26 financial year.
“The events will be hosted in destinations including Bela-Bela, Cape Town, Durban, Grabouw, Hermanus, Johannesburg, Makhanda, Mbombela, Polokwane, Skukuza, Sun City, and Tshwane, contributing more than 1.2 billion rand to the economy between 2025 and 2030,” she announced.
According to Statistics South Africa’s Tourism Satellite Account, tourism sustained more than 954,000 direct jobs in 2024 and contributed 4.9% to the nation’s GDP.
Encouraged by these figures, the Ramaphosa government will continue investing in tourism infrastructure during the 2026/27 financial year. Among the projects due for completion are 19 million rand for the Nyandeni Chalets development in the Eastern Cape, 20 million rand for upgrades at the Lehurutse Trophy and Bird Hunting Camp in North West and 30 million rand for improvements at the Isibhubhu event facility in KwaZulu-Natal.
De Lille also said three of the eight projects showcased during 2025’s Tourism Infrastructure Investment Summit have already secured funding. Apart from that, the Ramaphosa administration got 22 submissions for 2026’s summit, scheduled for Gauteng on 30 September and 1 October.
“Domestic travel continued to grow, with South Africans taking 44.7 million overnight trips in 2025 and generating 111.6 billion rand in tourism revenue. The Northern Cape recorded the strongest growth at 58.4%, reaching 1.9 million overnight trips, followed by North West, which grew by 34% to 4.2 million overnight trips,” De Lille said.
More than 6,700 public submissions had been received on the draft Code of Good Practice for Short-Term Rentals. The department is analyzing the submissions before publishing the final code,” she added further.
The minister also highlighted the role of film and television in promoting South Africa as a destination, citing research showing that audiences who watch South African productions are three times more likely to choose the nation as a travel destination.