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Tourism Minister Patria De Lille addresses those in attendance during a Summer Campaign Road Show at the Apartheid Museum in Ormonde, Johannesburg.
Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille says she plans to diversify South Africa’s tourism industry this festive season.
She was speaking during the Summer Campaign Road Show at the Apartheid Museum in Ormonde, south of Johannesburg.
The roadshow aims to encourage local and international travellers to explore South Africa’s diverse offerings.
De Lille says this is also part of a bigger plan to promote tourist attractions in all provinces.
“Part of our summer campaign is that we want to diversify our tourism offering and when I travel around the world, there is this perception that South Africa is just about safaris, Table Mountain and the beaches and that is not true and together with our partners, they represent the townships and other things and I want to expose to the world what I call hidden gems.”
SA’s growing appeal to international travellers
Meanwhile, the number of foreign travellers entering the country increased by 9% from October to November this year, reflecting the country’s growing appeal to international visitors during the summer season.
In November 2024, the total number of foreign travellers to South Africa was just over 1.8 million.
However, this represented a 2.9% decline compared to November 2023.
De Lille says that she anticipates a strong fourth quarter in terms of foreign visitors as we move into the next year.
She also emphasized the importance of the domestic tourism sector and its significant contribution to the overall tourism industry’s financial performance.
-Additional reporting by Nompumelelo Siziba
