South Africa wins Global Champion Award
South Africa’s tourism sector, estimated to have contributed R659.8 billion to the economy in 2025, recently received international acclaim from the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), taking home the Global Champion Award.
The award was presented to Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille at the WTTC Global Summit in Malta, praising the minister’s role in boosting tourism growth by strengthening government and private sector collaboration.
“I am deeply honoured by this recognition, but this award belongs to the entire South African tourism sector, especially the workers who keep our industry running day and night,” said de Lille.
“I have consistently said that our record-breaking 10.5 million international arrivals in 2025 were not a coincidence. They are the result of deliberate collaboration between the government and the private sector through our Tourism Growth Partnership Plan.”
The minister said that the international recognition highlights the Cabinet’s endorsement of the Tourism Growth Partnership Plan (TGPP) and President Cyril Ramaphosa’s decision to classify tourism as a strategic economic growth sector under Phase Three of the Government-Business Partnership.
Bankable tourism projects from both the public and private sectors increased from eight in 2025 to 15, which represents R3.5 billion in investable opportunities.
According to the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), South Africa’s Travel and Tourism sector is projected to support 1.9 million direct and indirect jobs by 2025, accounting for 11.3% of national employment, and contributing an estimated R659.8 billion to the economy.
WTTC expects that by 2035, the tourism sector could support an additional 620,000 jobs and contribute R911.7 billion to the economy.
WTTC President and CEO Gloria Guevara said that the minister had been a strong champion of engagement with the private sector and praised her for recognising the power of public-private partnerships.
“This award recognises her efforts to build partnerships that support the sector’s future success and maximise its benefits for communities across the country,” said Guevara.
The United States is South Africa’s biggest tourist group
In September 2026, Statistics South Africa reported that over one million international tourists entered the country in August, an increase of 7.4% compared with the same period the year before.
The total international tourist arrivals between January and August 2026 were recorded as 7,581,455, which is an increase of 11.7% compared with the same period last year.
The minister said the August figures show a strong demand for South Africa and reinforce the importance of translating growing arrivals into greater economic value.
“Our focus must now be on converting that demand into investment, jobs and economic opportunities,” said de Lille.
“We must give visitors more places to go, more experiences to enjoy and more reasons to stay longer, while ensuring that the benefits of tourism reach more communities across our country.”
The latest figures showed that the United States remained the largest source of international tourism, with 37,134 tourists arriving in August 2026.
This was followed by the United Kingdom, with 25,749 tourists, and Germany, with 14,731 tourists, entering the country.
According to UN Tourism, South Africa was the strongest-performing African destination in the first half of 2026.
UN Tourism also ranks South Africa among the top 20 best-performing destinations globally, based on data reported for the first half of 2026.
The minister said that the growth in demand strengthens the case for expanding and diversifying South Africa’s tourism offering.
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