World tourism body honours South Africa after record 10.5 million visitors
Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille received a global award in Malta for bringing government and business together to grow the industry.
Pretoria — The World Travel and Tourism Council has recognised South Africa's efforts to grow its tourism economy, presenting the Tourism Minister, Patricia de Lille, with its Global Champion Award at its global summit in Malta.
The award recognises her work in strengthening cooperation between government and business, the government news agency SAnews reports.
A record year
South Africa received a record 10.5 million international visitors in 2025. Ms de Lille put that down to deliberate cooperation between the government and the private sector under the Tourism Growth Partnership Plan.
She dedicated the award to the whole of the country's tourism industry, and especially to the workers who keep it running around the clock. Tourism policy, she said, is economic policy.
What tourism is worth
According to the council:
- The industry was forecast to support 1.9 million jobs in 2025, directly and indirectly. That is 11.3% of all employment in the country.
- It was estimated to contribute R659.8 billion to the economy.
- By 2035 it could support more than 620,000 further jobs and contribute R911.7 billion.
More projects to invest in
The award followed South Africa's second Tourism Infrastructure Investment Summit, where the list of public and private tourism projects ready for investment grew from eight in 2025 to 15, worth R3.5 billion.
The council's president and chief executive, Gloria Guevara, praised the minister's commitment to working with the private sector, and said it had helped to strengthen the industry and open the way to investment, jobs and long-term growth.
The Cabinet has endorsed the partnership plan, and President Cyril Ramaphosa has named tourism as a strategic growth sector in the government's partnership with business.
Source: SAnews, 13 October 2026.
