Minister Patricia de Lille: Promotion of South Africa as premier travel destination for Indian market

Dheli India: Minister of Tourism, Patricia de Lille remarks at a press conference held in Delhi, India today to enhance promotion of South Africa as a premier travel destination for the Indian market

Minister of Tourism, Patricia de Lille is leading a South African delegation on a mission to directly engage Indian tourism trade, tour operators and associations, business leaders, government and media to work in closer collaboration to grow arrivals between South Africa and India.

This mission is aimed at building relationships through interactions and engagements with tourism trade, captains of industry as well as other relevant stakeholders in the tourism value chain whilst emphasising tourism as a tool for economic growth.

This visit is also a forward-looking gesture as South Africa officially took over the G20 Presidency on 1 December 2024 and we are excited to welcome delegates to the G20 meetings in 2025 and showcasing all our dynamic tourism offerings.

India, as a key partner and one of South Africa’s most dynamic tourism markets, holds immense potential for fostering deeper economic, cultural, and people-to-people connections.

The focus of the visit to India is to strengthen collaborations and lay the groundwork for a shared future, with tourism playing a pivotal role in this partnership.

Welcoming India
South Africa and India have maintained strong bilateral relations and have a significant relationship. 

We are partners in the BRICS, G20 member states and IBSA (India, Brazil and South Africa Forum). 

“India is the fifth largest global economy and has a growing middle class. Indian tourists are amongst the top spenders globally and are set to become the 4th largest global travel spenders by 2030. India is also one of the leading outbound markets. South Africa must tap into this market more to grow tourism between our countries and for South Africa to reach our target of 15million arrivals annually by 2030,”  Minister de Lille said.

In 2023, we reached 8.5million total arrivals for the year and we are working to increase this to 10 million arrivals for the year by December 2024.

We have so far received 6.5million total arrivals between January and September 2024.
India is a strategic source market for South Africa to exponentially grow arrivals and reach our targets.

In 2019, arrivals from India to South Africa stood at over 95 000 and this recovered to over 79 700 in 2023. This was an increase of 43% compared to 2022.

For this year between January and September, we received over 57 900 arrivals from India, there has been a slight decline of 4% in recent months demonstrating the need for this outreach to engage our partners in India to address barriers to growth.

Currently Indian tourists account for only 3.9% of all international visitors to South Africa and we need to do a lot more to grow this share and attract more arrivals from India. 

We want to attract more arrivals from India by making it easier for travellers to travel to South Africa through an improved visa regime and improved air route development. 

Indian travellers spending on outbound tourism is expected to grow from $18.82 billion in 2024 to $55.39 billion in 2034. 

“We are here to ensure that South Africa benefits from that growth and in return the Indian traveller will have the most beautiful and memorable holiday experience having experienced our warm, welcoming people, excellent cuisine, breath-taking natural landscapes and so much more,” Minister de Lille said.

The mission is aimed at growing partnerships and arrivals in line with the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Tourism Cooperation signed by South Africa and India in July 2016 which states that we will work together on enhancing cooperation in tourism, trade and hospitality. 

Yesterday Minister de Lille met with India’s Minister of Tourism, Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat where Minister de Lille provided updates on South Africa’s visa regime and efforts to secure a direct flight between India and South Africa. 

It is important for South Africa to grow this market as India has deep political ties with South Africa and links with the struggle for freedom & justice in South Africa. 

India has significant trade relations with South Africa. Total trade between RSA & India is estimated at over $18,8billion US dollars.

“This demonstrates that there is no doubt that India has the potential to positively impact arrivals to South Africa thereby increasing contribution to the economy and supporting economic opportunities for small businesses and bringing foreign currency into the country,” Minister de Lille said.

Increasing Indian tourists will exponentially stimulate demand for goods and services, including improved standards and quality. All these often require the participation of different role players in the sector from micro, small, medium and large enterprises, including industry associations. The involvement of all role players will lead to inclusive economic transformation. 

South Africa is seeking to attract 15 million foreign tourists a year by 2030, and attracting large number of Indian tourists by making it easier for them to travel to South Africa could in the long run assist South Africa to achieve its tourist arrivals target.

The India Outreach Programme will be conducted with a specific focus on tourism recovery.

Pertinent issues surrounding issues experienced within the current South African tourism environment will be discussed and special attention will be afforded to issues not limited to:
• Air connectivity;
• E-visa challenges; and
• Promoting Destination South Africa
• Sport and Culture Tourism

A key part of the outreach is to market South Africa as a diverse and exciting destination more effectively.

“We are showcasing that South Africa has it all and is the place to be, it is an affordable destination, it is filled with diverse tourism experiences for families and every kind of traveller in all nine provinces. We are showcasing our globally renowned cuisine, our family travel offerings, high standard quality assured accommodation and establishments, adventure, affordable, luxury travel, world renowned restaurants and beautiful wine farms.

People must come and experience it all as well as our historic sites and melting pot of cultures in our small towns, rural villages and townships,” Minister de Lille said. 

South Africa consistently ranks as top destination in many world travel awards. In 2024, Cape Town was voted as Best Food City in the World and South Africa voted as the World’s Friendliest Destination. 

From our previous engagements and research, we have discovered that Indian travellers are looking for magical, authentic, memorable experiences. South Africa has all of this with many Instagram worthy landscapes and experiences and most of all, our best asset – friendly, welcoming people.

“In South Africa, Indian travellers will find enriching and rejuvenating experiences with many options of fun filled adventure and experiences and amazing sites to do a social media brag about. We have vibrant offerings for young people with exciting social and adventure activities and a variety of offerings for families,” Minister de Lille said. 

VISAS
The biggest barriers to increasing arrivals between South Africa and India is the lack of direct flights and visas that takes a long to process. 

To address this, in collaboration with the Department of Tourism, as well as the Presidency and Operation Vulindlela, the State Security Agency, the Department of Home Affairs recently announced the creation of an innovative new Trusted Tour Operator Scheme (TTOS) for visas targeting India and China. 

The TTOS will remove some of the key obstacles standing in the way of South Africa becoming a favoured tourism destination for Indian tourism.

Through TTOS, vetted and approved tour operators from India will be invited to register with the Department of Home Affairs (DHA). 

In exchange for undergoing thorough screening up- front and assuming responsibility for travellers in their groups, the DHA will for the very first-time process group applications from Indian tourists travelling with approved operators. 

Tourist visa applications processed through TTOS will be handled by a dedicated and skilled team of adjudicators to ensure swift and reliable processing and will also benefit from the removal of restrictive red tape that currently suffocates South Africa’s tourism potential. 

The TTOS platform will be available from 20 January 2025. 

E Visas
In the past, the DHA introduced an online e-Visa application system with a view to make the process of obtaining a visa simple for travellers from eligible countries, including India. 

The e-visa system had challenges and the Department of Home Affairs will soon be piloting the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) which will replace the e-visa system for individual tourist visas which will see a much shorter approval time for travellers. 

Air access/Route development 
Another intervention we are working on is route development. There is no direct flight between the two countries. This has a huge impact on travel as travel becomes costly due to multiple connections. 

South African Airways is part of the delegation in India as the airline is exploring reinstating the India – South Africa route.

Minister de Lille will be meeting with India Air, Indigo and Spice Jet airlines to persuade them to launch a direct flight between India and SA. 

Over 70 international airlines currently fly into South Africa and in 2024 we recovered to 8.1million seats compared to the 9,2million seats in 2019.

The Indian outbound market is growing, and SA is positioning itself to benefit from this growth. 

MICE travel
The MICE industry presents another significant growth opportunity for us in the Indian market.

Over the years, South Africa has cemented its reputation as a leading MICE destination and has a solid track record in hosting hundreds of world class business events.

According to the latest International Congress and Conventions Association (ICCA) rankings, South Africa is the top business events destination in Africa and the Middle East. 
In 2023, South Africa’s MICE industry was valued at 6.6 billion US dollars and is expected to grow fourfold to 25.9 billion US dollars by 2032.

Sport Tourism: Cricket World Cup 2027
South Africa will host the ICC Cricket World Cup in 2027. Given India's and South Africa’s deep passion for cricket, this presents a golden opportunity to leverage as part of our strategy to boost sports tourism.

The ICC Cricket World Cup is among the world's most-watched sporting events. By hosting it, South Africa will highlight its world-class facilities and infrastructure and reinforce our status as a premier destination for sports enthusiasts. 

The 2027 Cricket World Cup is a perfect opportunity to attract a diverse audience, increase tourism, and further solidify our global reputation as a top sports tourism destination.

We are confident that Indian fans will be eager to travel to South Africa to support their teams. 

We will be working with stakeholders in Indian to create attractive packages for Indian cricket fans and travellers to come to enjoy the ICC Cricket World Cup in South Africa.
The SA T20 Tournament is another good opportunity to visit South Africa and experience all its splendour. 

Conclusion
Minister de Lille emphasised that South Africa’s doors are open and the country is ready to welcome business event delegates and leisure travellers from all over the world. South Africa has value for money experiences at a favourable exchange rate for international travellers. From shopping, social, vast natural attractions, beautiful beaches, world class cuisine, cultural, historical and heritage, wildlife, business and adventure, South Africa has it all.

“Partnerships and collaborations are central to all we do as South Africa’s tourism sector. The importance of our partners in India who bring South Africa closer to the hearts of Indian travellers cannot be overstated and we are here to strengthen those partnerships and take our work to the next level,” Minister de Lille said.

“India has a population of 1.4 billion that is bolstered by the rapid growth of India's economy. India is set to become the fifth largest in 2024 and is projected to reach $7 trillion as the third largest economy by 2030. 15 markets along with India drive tourism to South Africa. These 15 markets make up 89% of arrivals and we look forward to welcoming more visitors from India,” Minister de Lille concluded.

Media Queries 
Zara Nicholson
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