Travel Trade News

South African Tourism’s participation at ITB Americas 2026 combines destination marketing, diplomatic collaboration and tourism trade development to strengthen South Africa’s profile and unlock opportunities in Mexico and the wider Americas.

South Africa enjoyed another strong showing at the Wanderlust Reader Travel Awards 2026, held at the historic Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich, London.

The future of attracting the Kenyan market lies in offering the right experiences to the right travellers. South African Tourism's latest segmentation study shows that Kenya is not one market; it is several distinct traveler segments, each seeking different experiences, traveling at different times of the year, and making booking decisions in different ways.

Meetings Africa, South Africa’s annual trade show for business events, is preparing for it’s 21st edition in 2027. It’s theme, “Unlocking Growth That Transforms Africa”, places market access, new business relationships and international trade at the centre of the continent's business events platform.

When we package South Africa for visitors, we think about wildlife, beaches, scenery, culture, and adventure. But another part of the visitor experience deserves a more deliberate place in the itinerary: where visitors eat.

Obstacle course racing world champion Thomas van Tonder will attempt to cross more than 600 monkey bars suspended beneath Bloukrans Bridge in Tsitsikamma. The roughly 280-metre suspended course follows the bridge’s full arch. That means climbing uphill, crossing the crown and coming down the other side using nothing but his hands. Red Bull Bridge Bars will be streamed live on Red Bull TV and YouTube.

Applications and registrations for Meetings Africa 2027 are now open, inviting exhibitors, buyers and media professionals to participate in one of the continent’s key business events industry gatherings.

South Africa's tourism and sport sectors must plan, bid and market together if the country is to win more major events and the visitors who follow them. That was the shared view of tourism leaders at Sport Business Forum 2026, speaking on the panel Host, Attract, Grow: Can sport become one of Africa's great tourism engines? in Johannesburg on 14 October.

Johannesburg, 16 October 2026: Because a destination can be remembered by the flavours it leaves behind, gastronomy offers travellers a deeply personal way to experience the people, culture and stories that make South Africa unforgettable.

As Kenyan tourist arrivals to South Africa reached 36,497 visitors between January and August 2026, representing growth of 7.7%, South African Tourism is placing local enterprises at the heart of destination promotion at the 16th Magical Kenya Travel Expo (MKTE) in Nairobi from 6 to 8 October 2026.

On 01 October, Minister of Tourism Patricia de Lille will host South Africa’s Tourism Infrastructure Investment Summit (SATIS) in Johannesburg, bringing together global leaders, policy makers, investors and industry stakeholders to drive tourism infrastructure investment and advance a sustainable project pipeline for South Africa’s tourism sector.

Avuxeni (AvuuSheni) Khotsong (GggoTsong) Ndaaa!!! Good Morning It is a pleasure to join you in Limpopo as we mark World Tourism Day 2026. I have just returned from Geneva where I served as the Co-Chair of the inaugural Beyond Tourism Day, convened by Alois Zwinggi, President and CEO of the World Economic Forum.