The Department of Tourism is wishing South Africans a relaxing Easter holiday season, while urging all tourists to #DoTourism safely and responsibly. This holiday period offers an opportunity to unwind and take a mini-detour, and explore the fun and diverse offerings in our small dorpies, townships and villages. ​

The Department of Tourism has received a final report on an independent investigation relating to alleged irregular payments to beneficiaries of the Relief Fund for Tourist Guides implemented by the department in 2020. ​

​The Department of Tourism thanks South Africans who have supported local establishments and boosted our tourism sector during the recent holiday period.

Tourists from South Africa can now easily apply for an e-Visa for their travels to Saudi Arabia. “I am extremely pleased with this development as South Africa also became the first African country to be added to the list. This will certainly bring immense benefits for leisure and Umrah travellers and for our efforts to grow tourism between South Africa and Saudi Arabia,” Minister de Lille said.​​

As we celebrate Tourism Month and gear up for the peak summer season, I expressed my gratitude to the tourism stakeholders in the Overberg region for all their hard work to grow tourism and urged them to continue enhancing our tourism offering so that we can welcome more visitors and increase the economic contribution of tourism to our economy. ​

“The Green Paper seeks to facilitate growth and transformation of the tourism sector by creating an enabling regulatory environment for the present and future, especially with regards to technological developments. The Green Paper further seeks to increase the tourism sector’s contribution to the broader economy and drive employment and entrepreneurship whilst enabling the sector to adapt to future crises. I, therefore, invite the public to study The Green Paper on the Development and Promotion of Tourism in South Africa and provide us with substantive comments,” stated Minister De Lille.​

The meeting was attended by all three spheres of government, industry role-players as well as interested community members and representatives from local tourism establishments, with the aim to hear, first-hand, how the communities feel government can best assist them.​

Our goal this year must be to surpass pre COVID arrival numbers. I urge members and MECs to supplement the programmes by the Department of Tourism aimed at supporting tourism enterprises so that we can spread the benefits and growth in all provinces.​

More than at any other time, the state of our tourism and travel sector has demanded that we inspire and organize all our people to act together as one, mindful that together we all hold our own future in our own hands.​

Every hand is needed on deck regardless of our political and social affiliations to push and advance the gains of our tourism sector, because we strongly believe that the success of the industry is possible only with the total sum of every effort of everyone in our beautiful country.

Most of the department’s activities are carried out through the expanded public works programme and are aimed at enhancing and developing tourism infrastructure through labour‐intensive methods targeted at young people, women, unemployed people, people with disabilities and small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs). ​

​The Minister of Tourism, Ms Patricia de Lille and Deputy Minister, Mr Fish Mahlalela will present the Tourism Budget Vote highlighting the Department’s key areas of work and strategic focal points for the 2023/24 financial year. The Budget Vote will  expand on the milestones of the Tourism Sector Recovery Plan, and the initiatives poised to grown tourism, advance transformation and skills development in the sector.​

​“The tourism sector recovery is well underway and we are excited at the appointment of this new Board which comprises of highly skilled individuals from various sectors. Our industry is critical to the South African economy, as it contributes richly to the GDP and to the lives of the people of our country," says Sisulu.

We are committed to making a difference in your life. Through these offered programmes, we hope to change the narrative of youth and women to become meaningful participants in the economy. I urge you to keep an eye out for our programmes, internships and bursaries.​​

A great number of our industry has been badly affected and it is our intention to support them to get back on their feet. I want to thank particularly at this point those members of the industry who came together and volunteered their support and guided us through the trauma of covid.​

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As we undertook the process to develop the plans we are tabling here today, we were still in the throes of extremely punitive, damaging and unfair red listing of the Southern Africa Region by several countries preventing their citizens from traveling to our destination.  The levels of uncertainty about the future of tourism were quite high.   

​Now more than ever there is greater hope of global tourism recovery since Covid-19 was declared a global pandemic. Confidence in our country as a tourism destination is lifting as various partners and airlines resume operations in South Africa. Throughout this period, South Africans have shown their resilience and solid commitment to the tourism sector and indeed supported domestic tourism through these very trying times.​

​We are dedicating the 2022/23 budget to providing meaningful support to the operations of the sector that has seen so much loss.  On the back of our rich heritage and natural beauty, and our vibrant people, we have an opportunity to reclaim our share of international arrivals and boost tourism performance.  

​Honourable members, we present this budget vote on the back of numerous seismic social, economic and humanitarian crisis. But we have to note that our people have responded with hope, strength, and the determination to prevail. It is these demonstrable qualities we celebrate with this budget vote, and which we will give support and real meaning. We have been amazed at the resilience of the sector, it mirrors the resilience of our people.​

​As we prepare for the budget vote this week, let us also critically look at our Food Safety Programme which targets unemployed youth with a view to broaden employment opportunities in the hospitality and tourism sector, in line with the SONA imperatives of expanding public and social employment. ​

​​​The Department will present the 2022/23 Tourism Budget Vote highlighting its vision and strategic focal points for the new financial year. The vote will also expand on the Tourism Sector Recovery Plan, and initiatives on advancing transformation and skills development in the sector.  ​

​The Department of Tourism is greatly saddened by the fatal accident on the N4 toll road in Mpumalanga which caused the deaths of five people, including three Dutch tourists, on 4 March 2022. 

​The Minister of Tourism Lindiwe Sisulu has reported to the Portfolio Committee of Tourism today that the Department has responded to 60% (70 cases) of the findings by the Auditor General. Minister Sisulu reported to the Committee that 29% (34 cases) of the findings are partially completed and in progress while on 11% the department has indicated when those will be completed.

​​The Minister of Tourism Lindiwe Sisulu has received the Auditor General’s report on the performance of the Department of Tourism in the 2020/21 financial year. The department received an unqualified audit opinion, whilst SA Tourism (SAT) which is an entity of the department received a qualified audit opinion.​

​The United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has declared the year 2021-2022 as a year of “Tourism for Inclusive Growth”. This theme builds forward from the theme of the year 2020-2021, which was “Tourism and Rural development”, and resonates well with the transformation goals of our country.

​... our focus for this financial year will be on the tourism sector recovery. Our work will form part of the broad economic reconstruction and recovery as elaborated in the country’s Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Plan (ERRP).

​Minister of Tourism Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane, and Deputy Minister Fish Mahlalela, will deliver the Tourism Budget Vote highlighting the Department’s vision and strategic focal points for the 2021/22 financial year. The vote will also expand on the Tourism Sector Recovery Plan, and initiatives on advancing transformation and skills development in the sector.

​​Minister of Tourism Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane, and Deputy Minister Fish Mahlalela, will deliver the Tourism Budget Vote highlighting the Department’s vision and strategic focal points for the 2021/22 financial year. The vote will also expand on the Tourism Sector Recovery Plan, and initiatives on advancing transformation and skills development in the sector.  

​The 2020 theme for Tourism Month is TOURISM AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT.  This year’s theme was conceptualised, as a recognition of the important role that tourism plays in the development of rural communities by way of poverty alleviation, employment creation and overall stimulation of economic activities

​The staff of the Department of Tourism joined the rest of the country in celebrating the Nelson Mandela International Day with the children of the Child Welfare Tshwane Centre in Fountains Valley at the Groenkloof Nature Reserve on Sunday, 17 July 2016, under the theme, “Take action and inspire change”.

​The Department of Tourism would like to warn members of the public against an organised syndicate (s) scamming unsuspecting members of the public and claiming to act on behalf of the Department.

​The expo is an interactive opportunity between tourism curricula experts, tourism educators and learners and stakeholders to discuss diverse careers available in the sector. It is designed to empower thousands of learners across the country with information on tourism as a career choice through funding opportunities such as learnerships, internships, bursaries and life skills programmes.

​In addition to highlighting the opportunities for women and the youth in tourism, the Imbizo will rally the community to take a firm stand against Gender-Based Violence and crime.

​#TourismMonth2018 - The picturesque backdrop of the rolling hills where former President Nelson Mandela spent his childhood set the scene as South Africa celebrated World Tourism Day at Luchaba Nature Resort in Mthatha – Eastern Cape Province.

​The Sho’t Left Travel Week, this ground-breaking initiative by South African Tourism will see a host of trade partners, airlines, hotel groups and tour operators offering generous discounts during the week starting 24 September 2018. 

​With days to go before the official Nelson Mandela Centenary celebrations, the youth of South Africa gathered in Parliament for the 2018 Nelson Mandela Youth Summit in honour the father of the nation’s legacy.

​The South African National Biodiversity Institute, in partnership with the Department of Environmental Affairs and the Department of Tourism, cordially invite you to the launch of the Sisulu Circle at the Walter Sisulu National Botanical Garden.