Minister of Tourism, Patricia de Lille, has reassured the local Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) industry that the government wanted to position Africa as a global powerhouse in the MICE sector and grow it from more than R120 billion it was worth in 2023.
Speaking at the opening of the Meetings Africa 2025 on Tuesday, Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille said the gathering was a powerful platform where ideas meet opportunity, where connections spark innovation, and where Africa stood together to showcase its limitless potential.
According to Allied Market Research, the global MICE industry was valued at approximately $523.3bn (R9.6 trillion) in 2023 and the South African MICE industry was valued at $6.6bn in 2023.
De Lille said the industry and the government can drive lucrative investments, create jobs, and ensure Africa claims its fair share of the global business events market.
She reaffirmed the government’s commitment to positioning Africa as a global powerhouse in the MICE sector, saying the business events industry was projected to grow significantly in the coming years.
“While South Africa is the number 1 ranked business events destination in Africa and the Middle East, we can see from the numbers above that South Africa has a small share of the global business events market. We must do a lot more to grow South Africa and Africa’s share of the global business events market,” De Lille said.
“With our collective expertise and shared vision, we can continue our drive to make Africa the world’s most sought-after business events destination. South Africa’s business events sector is on a strong growth trajectory as is our tourism and travel industry. It is the connections and business that we will do here over the next two days that will achieve that income for the African continent.”
De Lille said South Africa welcomed 8.92 million tourists between January and December 2024, reflecting a 5.1% year-on-year growth compared to 2023. The rest of Africa continues to drive most of the arrivals, contributing 76% of all tourists’ arrivals to South Africa in 2024.
“In terms of attracting business events and conferences, since the start of the 2024/25 financial year, which is 1 April 2024; the South African National Convention Bureau (SANCB) has sourced and submitted no less than 81 bids for international business events,” she said.
“So far, South Africa has won 53 international business events to be hosted between 2024 and 2029, which will contribute R617 million to South Africa’s economy and bring over 24 000 delegates to our shores. These events will be hosted in world-class venues in Johannesburg, Tshwane, Ekurhuleni, Cape Town, Port Alfred, Gqeberha, Magaliesberg, Sun City, Richards Bay, Polokwane, Muldersdrift and Stellenbosch.”
De Lille said her department has identified at least seven key priorities to grow the tourism sector over the next five years in partnership with the private sector. These include improved visa regulations, enhanced destination marketing, safety and security, product development, aviation route development for domestic and international air arrivals, investing in tourism infrastructure and services, as well as job creation.
“In alignment with the GNU’s three key priorities, the government is actively addressing barriers to tourism. To further cement our reputation as a gateway to Africa, the government has introduced critical visa enhancements to facilitate smoother access to our country. These include: The Trusted Tour Operator Scheme (TTOS), which simplifies group visa applications for key markets like India and China, making it easier for business travellers and tourists to visit South Africa,” she said.
“At this year’s Meetings Africa, we’re reminded that we must all do more to market the continent to Unlock Africa’s Opportunities Through Quality Connections. By being here at Meetings Africa, we are we’re not only saying to the world that we are open for business – we are saying we are ready to host big events and that we are in fact, we are excellent at it.”
BUSINESS REPORT