Tourism Month 2025: driving inclusive economic growth
Tourism Month celebrates so much more than travel. It is about rediscovering our shared story and identity as South Africans. It is about small towns animated by festivals, homestays infused with culture and tradition and journeys that reconnect us to the land and to one another. It is about reminding ourselves that when we explore our own places and spaces, we invest in communities, preserve heritage and breathe life into local economies. Apart from being an economic catalyst, tourism is also about generating goodwill, nation-building, and serves as a powerful social unifier.
Since World Tourism Day is celebrated in September, South Africa designates this month as Tourism Month. Throughout September, a range of activations aligned with the annual theme and national tourism priorities are held across all provinces. This year, particular focus will also be given to the G20 priorities.
Tourism Month aims to raise awareness of domestic tourism initiatives and to inspire South Africans to explore their own country. It promotes the discovery of lesser-known attractions, supports local businesses and encourages a deeper appreciation of the country’s rich cultural heritage and shared identity.
The theme for this year, Tourism and Sustainable Transformation, gives expression to the ethos of the National Development Plan (NDP) and the Department of Tourism’s mandate to drive inclusive economic growth. Tourism Month is therefore a bold statement. It says that tourism is not a side note to development, but a driver of inclusive growth. It is where small businesses find customers, where young people find opportunities and where women entrepreneurs find recognition. It is where local aspirations meet global possibilities.
With its extensive value chain and labour absorption capacity, tourism is a vital contributor to the South African economy. It is recognised as a tool for economic development, playing a significant role in addressing the country’s socio-economic challenges. Tourism is one of the most dynamic sectors of our economy. In 2024, it supported 1.6 million jobs.
Transformation is tangible and a reality we can see and experience. Through the Tourism Transformation Fund, we recently launched the Atrium Boutique Hotel in Limpopo, a fully operational tourism development established by a husband and wife team – Matodzi and Lesetja Mukwevho. The hotel is 100% black-owned and 60% women-owned, underscoring the vital contribution of women entrepreneurs to economic development.
Domestic tourism is the nucleus of the tourism economy and provides a foundation for sustainable tourism growth and development. South Africa boasts a strong and vibrant domestic tourism portfolio. This also addresses geographic spread and seasonality, as well as over-reliance on long-haul trips. It further ensures revenue resilience by cushioning the industry during global shocks like pandemics, currency fluctuations or international travel bans, as well as local circulation of money.
From January to June 2025, total trips recorded a 14.8% increase compared to the same period last year, driven largely by growth in visiting friends and relatives. Of the total trips, there were 3.8 million holiday trips.
We are currently running our annual Sho't Left Travel Week campaign, which encourages South Africans to book travel at a discount of up to 50% off when booking between 8 and 14 September. Travel can be taken anytime, subject to the terms of the travel provider. Together with our industry partners, we have curated over 450 packages for South Africans to enjoy. This forms part of our effort to stimulate growth in the tourism sector and encourage more citizens to experience and enjoy the beauty of their own country.
This year, the celebration is more significant. South Africa is not only opening its doors to its own people, encouraging them to travel local and grow local, but also welcoming the world as host of the G20 Summit. The timing could not be more symbolic: just as Tourism Month reminds South Africans of the treasures within their own borders, the G20 places the country firmly on the global stage.
With the G20 spotlight, Tourism Month 2025 presents an opportunity to showcase South Africa not only as a destination of natural wonders and cultural richness, but also as a global player in shaping the tourism agenda. Delegates from the world’s major economies will experience first-hand the warmth of South African hospitality, the vibrancy of its cities, and the depth of its traditions. In 2025, Tourism Month is more than a campaign. It is a stage. And South Africa is ready to perform.
Now, with the eyes of the world upon us, South Africa has the chance to tell that story far beyond its borders. Delegates will not only gather for high-level discussions; they will walk our streets, taste our cuisine, hear our music, and witness the diversity that defines us. Tourism becomes our most powerful form of diplomacy.
This month marks the launch of our inaugural Tourism Investment Summit, a platform that brings together government and private sector stakeholders to invest in viable, high-impact projects – an important step in driving further growth in the tourism sector. Additionally, the Department of Tourism will announce the winning digital solutions from our first-ever Hackathon, where students from 18 higher education institutions are developing innovations to enhance the tourist experience. As we work toward our goal of 15 million tourist arrivals by 2030, as outlined in the NDP, the Department of Home Affairs will begin rolling out Electronic Travel Authorisation this month. This initiative supports our commitment to improving ease of access – one of the five key pillars of the Tourism Growth Partnership Plan.
For South Africans, this is a clarion call. While the world explores our country, we too must become tourists in our own country – discovering places and spaces that tell the story of who we are. Because the same beauty that captivates a tourist can kindle pride in the hearts of those who call this land home. Indeed, we will then be true ambassadors and see ourselves through the prism of the Rainbow Nation.
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