Durban – South African Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille says Africa’s Travel Indaba is a powerful celebration of the continent’s extraordinary potential to drive economic growth through tourism.
“This is where travel industry professionals gather, including tour operators, hotels, airlines and tourism boards to showcase products, network, negotiate deals and form partnerships with buyers,” De Lille said on Monday at the media launch of the event in Durban.
President Cyril Ramaphosa will officially open the indaba on Tuesday, May 12, with the event running from May 12 to 13 in Durban under the theme “Unlimited Africa: Growing Africa’s Tourism Economy”. 
“[The President’s presence] reflects the strategic importance of tourism at the highest level of government and affirms our collective understanding that tourism is not peripheral to economic growth; it is central to it,” De Lille said.
The minister said Africa’s tourism economy is poised for extraordinary growth. “The tourism sector remains one of the continent’s most powerful economic contributors. Through the geographic spread of tourism, the sector creates job opportunities and stimulates investment even in the most remote villages.”
She said domestic tourism in South Africa continues to be the backbone of the sector, with total trips growing by 35.6% between January and February 2026 compared to the previous year.
De Lille also pointed to the role of meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions, known as MICE, saying they continue to contribute immensely towards the range of the country’s tourism offerings.
“Hosting major business events injects billions into the GDP and drives tourism beyond leisure,” she said, describing tourism as a soft power asset with the ability to shape international perception.
“Tourism is a gateway sector for investment, influencing investor confidence, country image and new project development. It is for this reason that the Inaugural Tourism Infrastructure Investment Summit, held in September 2025, launched eight bankable projects worth approximately R1 billion, with three of them already securing funding,” De Lille said.
Among recent major investments in the sector is the R24 billion V&A Waterfront expansion. According to Statistics South Africa’s Tourism Satellite Account for South Africa Report, the tourism sector accounted for 953 981 direct jobs in 2024, meaning one in every 18 workers was directly employed in tourism.
Africa’s Travel Indaba is one of the largest tourism marketing events on the African calendar and ranks among the top three must-visit events of its kind globally. It is owned by South African Tourism and has won the award for Africa’s Best Travel and Tourism Show for two consecutive years, an accolade presented by the Association of World Travel Awards.
