Minister Patricia de Lille welcomes Phase Three of the Government-Business Partnership that formally includes tourism among priority sectors to help lift growth above 3%, attract investment, and expand employment.
Phase Three of the Government-Business Partnership, launched by President Cyril Ramaphosa, formally includes tourism alongside agriculture and mining to accelerate growth above 3%.
Tourism contributed 4.9% to GDP and supported 954,000 direct jobs in 2024, making it a larger contributor than agriculture, utilities, and construction.
Phase Three of South Africa's Government-Business Partnership was launched by President Cyril Ramaphosa with an immediate target of lifting economic growth above 3%. The Tourism sector has been added as a priority alongside agriculture, agro-processing, and mining. Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille welcomed the move and said it aligns with existing public-private work under the Cabinet-endorsed Tourism Growth Partnership Plan (TGPP).
Why tourism is now a named priority
The government frames tourism as a sector that can attract investment, generate foreign revenue, and create large-scale employment. Official figures cited by the Department of Tourism show the sector supported 954,000 direct jobs in 2024 and contributed 4.9% to gross domestic product. The department notes tourism's contribution exceeded that of agriculture, utilities, and construction.
What Phase Three identifies for tourism
Phase Three singles out specific bottlenecks and interventions that should be expedited to boost tourism's economic contribution:
How this links to the Tourism Growth Partnership Plan (TGPP)
The TGPP already brings government and the private sector together around five priorities: ease of access, coordinated destination marketing, safety and security, tourism product development, and job creation. The TGPP has a Project Management Office and a dashboard to measure progress against macroeconomic targets and track implementation across workstreams.
Minister De Lille describes Operation Vulindlela as an opportunity to add momentum, coordination, and accountability to TGPP work, and to frame tourism policy as economic policy. The Department of Tourism says it will work with the Presidency, other government departments, and the private sector to convert Phase Three priorities into measurable outcomes.
Immediate implications and next steps
[SAnews.gov.za] Tourism is not only about visiting South Africa's most beautiful places, but it is also an accelerator of job creation, bolsters the economy and reinvigorates villages, townships, small towns, heritage sites and national parks.
[SAnews.gov.za] Tourism Month kicks off in South Africa today under the theme: "Growing South Africa's Tourism Sector in the Digital Era".
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