The Minister of Tourism Patricia de Lille has disclosed that domestic tourists contributed R121 billion to the economy last year, compared to just R95 billion from foreign visitors.
As the cornerstone of the nation's tourism industry, De Lille claimed that this illustrated the influence of domestic travel.
She disclosed this during Tuesday’s Summer Season Campaign launch in the “City of Roses”, Bloemfontein.
De Lille clarified the significance of the campaign, stating that the “Gimme Summer That Sho’t Left” campaign aims to inspire South Africans to travel throughout the country and experience the diverse range of tourism attractions and experiences in different provinces.
According to the minister, the campaign was also aimed at encouraging tourists from outside South Africa to visit all the regions.
Furthermore, De Lille, said both the department and SA Tourism were committed to ensuring that the benefits of tourism were felt in all nine provinces.
Speaking to a large number of stakeholders and industry head honchos, she explained that she purposefully chose the Free State as the starting point for this year’s Summer Campaign to raise awareness of the lesser-known provinces as well as all of the amazing attractions and hidden “gems” that are distributed around the nation.
“At its core, our Summer Campaign focuses on promoting affordable, memorable travel experiences in Mzansi. We invite both local and international tourists to explore our country and discover the many experiences including our natural wonders, cultural experiences as well both well-known and lesser-visited places and attractions.
“There are so many quality attractions and hidden gems in every province as well as unique experiences and things to see and do in our little towns, villages, townships, and dorpies” said De Lille.
According to the latest international tourist arrival statistics, the country had already welcomed more than 5.8 million tourists in the first eight months of 2024, marking a 7% increase compared to the same period last year.
At the same time, statistics revealed that 21.5 million trips were taken by South Africans to explore the country between January 2024 and July 2024, demonstrating that domestic tourism was indeed the bedrock of the tourism sector.
De Lille said through various travel offers and campaigns executed in various markets as well as in the country, the department wanted to show that travelling to and within South Africa was accessible and affordable.
“The ‘Gimme Summer That Sho’t Left’ campaign aims to foster a sense of national pride among South Africans by encouraging them to explore and get to know their country better and continue to warmly welcome visitors whose visits stimulate the economy and contribute to job creation in South Africa.”
According to the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), tourism’s direct and indirect contribution to South Africa’s GDP was 8.2% in 2023.
It is estimated to rise to 8.8% by the end of 2024 and reach 10.4% of GDP by 2030. Already in the first quarter of 2024, tourism’s direct and indirect contribution to South Africa’s GDP was 8.8%.