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JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA, SUNDAY, 19th SEPTEMBER 2021: The success of Africa’s tourism sector in the midst of COVID-19 hinges on increased collaboration among all industry role-players – this is the message from South Africa’s Deputy Minister of Tourism Fish Mahlalela.

In a bid to kick start travel to South Africa from China, South African Tourism has announced the 2021 China Virtual Road Show & Virtual Fam to reconnect Chinese buyers with South African trade. This event is scheduled from 13th to 17th September 2021.

SOUTH AFRICA, Johannesburg – Tuesday, 31 August 2021: The last time there was a travel trade show on African soil – Meetings Africa 2020 – there was talk of the tourism sector being the economy’s last great hope as it boosted GDPs and created jobs with the trajectory of an Airbus A380.

The Province of the Free State will host this year’s edition of the World Tourism Day Celebrations for South Africa on the 27th of September 2021. The announcement was made today by the Director General of the Department of Tourism Mr Victor Tharage at the Golden Gate National Park outside of Clarens as the province launched its Tourism Month Campaign and began its 30-day countdown to the annual spectacle.

The Department of Tourism and South African Tourism will host the first ever Africa's Travel and Tourism Summit, which is set to take place from 20th to 21st September 2021, coinciding with Tourism Month in South Africa. Africa’s Travel and Tourism Summit aims to be a catalyst for engagement on the current state of tourism on the African continent. Taking into account challenges facing the global tourism industry, Africa’s Travel and Tourism Summit will, through various engagement sessions, gather the tourism sector to share insights and ideas to explore collaborative efforts that can lead to recovery.

South Africa is a land rich in culture and exquisite heritage. Our nation is made by our people. We are dynamic and welcoming because our hearts are bigger than the circumstances that are meant to define us. South Africa not only inspires our international guests, but our very own people too. One of the people that embodies this notion is Sindiso Khumalo.

While Africa Day is observed on 25 May, Robben Island Museum is celebrating Africa and her people for the entire month of May, with group ticket discounts of up to 25%. “Robben Island Museum is arguably one of Africa’s most renowned symbols of her struggle for freedom and stands as reminder of the strength of the human spirit, particularly in a time when South Africa and Africa at large are still yearning for true freedom,” said Siphuxolo Mazwi, RIM Senior Manager: Marketing and Tourism.

The South African Tourism (SA Tourism) Board, Management, Staff and Partners are deeply saddened by the news of the passing away of its former Board Chairperson, Jabu Mabuza. The 63-year-old, Mabuza, held various leadership roles in the tourism industry and was first appointed to the SA Tourism Board in 2003.

In a bid to reposition South Africa as a COVID-19 safe destination and dispel damaging narratives currently associated with South Africa, South African Tourism (SA Tourism) and the Tourism Business Council of South Africa (TBCSA), are launching a Global PR communications Tourism Advocacy Program. This forms part of the “Tourism Road To Recovery Plan”, which was recently adopted by national government and the tourism sector.

United Airlines has inaugurated its nonstop daily service between its New York hub at Newark Liberty International Airport and O.R. Tambo International Airport, with the arrival of the first flight into Johannesburg on the 4th of June.

South African Tourism (SA Tourism) was a big winner at International Tourism Film Festival Africa (ITFFA) awards ceremony held in Cape Town last Friday. The television commercial (TVC) “Because South Africa”, produced by the WWP Group, was up for various nominations in a host of categories.

After the unprecedented 73% drop in international tourism recorded in 2020, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, demand for international travel remained weak at the beginning of 2021. As part of the tourism sector recovery strategy compiled by South African Tourism and the tourism industry, which was approved by cabinet in April 2021, it was predicted that the tourism sector recovery would start domestically, then progress regionally and then ultimately internationally. The arrivals statistics from the continent from October 2020 to February 2021 indicate the gradual start of recovery from this region, in line with the predictions made in the tourism sector recovery strategy.