Tourism directly supports 954,000 jobs across South Africa and accounts for 4.9 percent of gross domestic product, a footprint that already exceeds the combined contribution of agriculture, utilities and construction. Yet the sector has long underperformed against its potential. That gap is now a matter of formal government policy.
President Cyril Ramaphosa launched Phase Three of the Government-Business Partnership on Friday, and tourism sits at its centre alongside agriculture, agro-processing and mining. The move signals that policymakers see the sector not as a secondary concern but as a primary engine of job creation and improved living standards for ordinary South Africans.
The economic target is unambiguous: lift growth above 3 percent, shifting the country from stabilisation and reform toward genuine acceleration of investment and employment. For workers and communities that depend on tourism revenue, the stakes are immediate and concrete.
Minister of Tourism Patricia de Lille welcomed the expansion, framing it as an opportunity to accelerate work already underway. The Cabinet-endorsed Tourism Growth Partnership Plan has spent months mapping the barriers that suppress growth and the interventions needed to remove them. With Phase Three now formalising tourism’s place in the broader economic strategy, de Lille said the sector gains “greater momentum, coordination and accountability” to move from policy to measurable results.
Five priority areas have been identified where action will carry the broadest public benefit. Improved air access determines how easily visitors reach the country and how competitive South Africa remains against regional rivals. Faster, more modern visa processing removes friction that deters international travel. Stronger destination marketing amplifies the country’s global appeal. Enhanced tourist safety and security protect both visitors and the local communities whose livelihoods depend on tourism spending. Investment in tourism infrastructure creates jobs during construction and raises the quality of experience that drives repeat visits.
Meanwhile, the Department of Tourism has already built the machinery to track delivery. A Project Management Office is in place, and a dashboard monitors progress against macroeconomic targets across different workstreams. That accountability infrastructure matters to citizens because it creates public visibility into whether government and the private sector are actually following through. The department has committed to working with the Presidency and other government departments to convert Phase Three priorities into outcomes that can be measured.
Statistics South Africa’s Tourism Satellite Account data, which underpins the sector’s 2024 employment and GDP figures, makes clear how much ground there is to recover and how much more the sector could contribute if the identified barriers are genuinely removed.
Whether Phase Three translates into real gains in employment, wages and economic opportunity for South Africa’s workforce will depend entirely on how effectively government and business execute against the commitments they have now made in public. The dashboard will show whether they do.
More information on the government’s economic growth strategy is available at https://www.sanews.gov.za/south-africa/minister-welcomes-tourisms-inclusion-sas-economic-growth-plan.