The Tourism Business Council of South Africa (TBCSA) hosted its second Leadership Conference at Sun City from 6-8 September 2023, which saw stakeholders from the public and private sectors come together, as well as dignitaries, guests, and delegates who are contributors to the local and global tourism industry value chain.
In a press statement, the TBCSA stated: “Last year, TBCSA, together with SA Tourism revised the annual arrivals target from 21 million to 15.6 million. This year, we remain on track to achieve our 2023 goal of 8.75 million foreign tourist arrivals. As of July 2023, the number of arrivals stood at 4.8 million. This is a positive development for our sector that also suggests steady growth and improvement.
“We are pleased with the strength of our partnership with the Department of Tourism, under the leadership of Minister Patricia De Lille. With the support of the minister and her team, we have been able to make progress in advancing our collective tourism growth goals in the private and public sectors.”
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e-visas, and more, coming soon
One of the conference highlights was an update from Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi on the TBCSA’s collaboration with the Department of Home Affairs to create an efficient automated world-class e-visa system. Its implementation is currently underway, and the system will prioritise access of travellers from South Africa’s key source markets.
Other areas that the TBCSA is working on with Government include:
- Expediting the issuing of tourism vehicle operating licenses with the National Department of Transport.
- Promoting tourism safety. Part of this strategy has led to the release of a new tourist safety app, SECURA, while the Department of Tourism has also set aside R174 million for this financial year for the deployment of tourism monitors in key local tourism spots.
- A national air access initiative is in full swing to find ways to better connect the county’s major airports with smaller ones.
“We remain committed to investing in tourism marketing, and strengthening our private-public partnerships, especially in key growth markets,” concluded the TBCSA.
RELATED: TBCSA Conferences 2023 videos
