Tourism bodies have welcomed the appointment of Patricia de Lille as the new Minister of Tourism and expressed their support of plans to advance the sector.
The umbrella body for the hospitality sector, the Federated Hospitality Association of SA (Fedhasa), said it looked forward to working with De Lille and unlocking the "enormous potential" that tourism held for South Africa.
In a Cabinet reshuffle announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa on Monday, De Lille was moved from the Public Works and Infrastructure portfolio to Tourism. She replaced Lindiwe Sisulu who took over the position in 2021.
"We trust that De Lille's appointment will be a catalyst for change, moving tourism forward by overcoming the current stumbling blocks and facilitating new opportunities for growth, such as the provision of digital nomad visas and the long-awaited eVisa system," said Fedhasa’s national chairperson Rosemary Anderson.
South Africa's tourism sector has, according to government figures, made great strides in growth and recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic, although it has yet to recover to pre-Covid-19 levels.
Recent figures released by Statistics South Africa showed that between January and December 2022, approximately 5.7 million foreign tourists visited the country and spent R59 billion.
The World Travel and Tourism Council has predicted that the tourism sector will drive South Africa’s economic recovery over the next 10 years and grow at an average rate of 7.6%.
The industry is also expected to create 800 000 jobs over the next decade.
The Southern African Tourism Services Association (Satsa) also extended its congratulations to De Lille.
Satsa co-chair Oupa Pilane said: "We look forward to working closely with her and the Department of Tourism to advance tourism in the country through meaningful structured engagement so that more South Africans directly experience the benefit that tourism can bring to the economy."
Satsa also noted the continuity within the department as the Deputy Minister, Amos Mahlalela, retained his position.
Weekend Argus