Tourism is playing an increasingly important role in South Africa’s economic growth and job creation, with the sector supporting employment across accommodation, transport, food services, retail and other industries.
President Cyril Ramaphosa says tourism can help attract investment, increase foreign revenue and create employment opportunities while supporting communities across the country.
Speaking during the launch of Phase Three of the Government-Business Partnership, Ramaphosa called on both the public and private sectors to address the challenges preventing the tourism industry from reaching its full potential.
The President described tourism as an industry capable of attracting “investment, earn foreign revenue, strengthen localisation and create employment at scale”.
He urged stakeholders to “remove the barriers holding the sector back”.
Tourism Supporting Thousands of Jobs
According to Ramaphosa, tourism is one of the fastest ways to create jobs across a broad range of skills.
“Tourism is one of the fastest ways to generate jobs across a wide range of skills. Every additional visitor supports employment in accommodation, transport, food services, entertainment, retail and the creative industries.
“We must improve air access, modernise visa processing, strengthen destination marketing, enhance tourist safety and expand investment in tourism infrastructure. We must ensure that the benefits of tourism extend beyond the established destinations to our villages, townships, small towns, heritage sites and national parks,” President Ramaphosa said.
Recent tourism statistics indicate that international visitor numbers are continuing to grow.
In July 2026, 991,696 international tourists visited South Africa, representing a 12.5% increase compared to July 2025.
The growth has also been recorded over the first seven months of the year.
“Cumulatively, this growth brings total international tourist arrivals between January 2026 and July 2026 to 6 576 169, representing growth of 12.4% compared to the same period last year.
“During this period, arrivals from Africa increased by 14.3% year-on-year while overseas arrivals grew by 5.7%,” the Tourism department said in a statement.
Tourism Contributes to South African Economy
The tourism industry also makes a significant contribution to South Africa’s economy.
Statistics show that the sector sustained approximately 954,000 direct jobs in 2024 and contributed 4.9% to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
This contribution is particularly important amid a period of relatively slow economic growth.
Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille said the latest figures show that tourism growth is becoming more geographically diverse, which has been one of the government’s strategic priorities.
“The data reveals that the growth is becoming geographically diversified, which has been one of our strategic priorities.
“Together with the private sector and stakeholders we’ll continue to build on this momentum through the recently launched digital visa, the Electronic Travel Authorisation [ETA] system”.
New Digital Visa System to Support Tourism
South Africa is also introducing measures aimed at making it easier and faster for legitimate international travellers to enter the country.
Home Affairs Minister Dr Leon Schreiber described the new Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) system as a major development for South Africa’s immigration and tourism management.
The system was officially launched at OR Tambo International Airport during a ceremony led by President Ramaphosa.
The ETA system combines biometric verification with automated risk analysis. This is designed to strengthen border security while speeding up the processing of legitimate travellers.
“[The] ETA represents a quantum leap forward for our country’s immigration system, both by unlocking economic growth through tourism, investment and legitimate travel, and by landing a decisive blow against visa fraud and illegal immigration,” Schreiber declared.
The automated risk analysis system can identify potential indicators of fraud at a “speed and scale no human could achieve”.
If an application is approved, the traveller will receive their ETA within 24 hours.
“If the application is approved, the traveller will receive their ETA within 24 hours, which they can then store directly in the digital wallet on their smart phone.
“Once an approved traveller arrives at the immigration counter, they are again required to look into a camera, where biometric verification enables us to confirm that the person standing at our border is the same person who received authorisation to travel to our country.
“In other words: the face of the traveller becomes the key that determines whether they may enter, rather than physical documents that can be manipulated,” the Minister explained.
Airports Using the ETA System
The Electronic Travel Authorisation system is currently available to travellers arriving at four major South African airports.
These are:
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OR Tambo International Airport
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Cape Town International Airport
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King Shaka International Airport
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Lanseria International Airport
The government plans to expand the system beyond airports in the coming months.
Facial Recognition to Be Rolled Out at More Ports of Entry
Facial recognition technology and EMCS 2.0 will also be introduced at South Africa’s land and seaports over the coming months.
The government is additionally working to “expand the platform also to process more complex visa categories, including study visas, spousal visas, and work visas”.
The expansion of the digital immigration system could have implications beyond tourism, including for international students, workers and other travellers seeking to enter South Africa legally.
“By the time this work is complete, South Africa will have one of the most sophisticated, efficient and secure digital visa and entry/exit systems anywhere in the world.
“[The] ETA is the embodiment of our commitment to the vision of turning South Africa into a world leader in smart and secure migration management and digital government,” Schreiber said.
