By Simon Nare
The Tourism Department has hailed as successful the first G20 Tourism Working Group meeting with key areas of focus adopted by delegates from the powerful economic countries as well as invited countries.
Other parties that were invited to the virtual meeting were international organisations, senior officials and experts in the tourism sector.
The department said in a statement at the conclusion of the meeting that delegates deliberated on four priorities for the year.
They included:
*People-centred artificial intelligence (AI) and innovation to enhance travel and tourism start-ups and SMMEs
*Tourism financing and investment to enhance equality and promote sustainable development
*Air connectivity for seamless travel, and
*Enhanced resilience for inclusive, sustainable tourism development
It said the meeting was the first of a series of engagements that would take place throughout the year ahead of the G20 Tourism Ministers’ Meeting in September.
Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille welcomed the delegates in a recorded message and implored them to work on ways to create an inclusive tourism sector.
“South Africa is excited to welcome all G20 delegates, member states and organisations to our beautiful country and proud to host the G20 for the first time on African soil.
“As you convene during the first Tourism Working Group, I implore on all delegates to focus on how we can use tourism to change people’s lives, communities and the world,” De Lille said in the message.
In the upcoming meetings, the working group will exchange knowledge and best practices among member countries with a view to craft actionable deliverables.
It is among the 16 working groups of the G20 during South Africa’s presidency.
The department said as the first African country to preside over the G20 presidency, South Africa would use its term to drive a developmental agenda to benefit the continent.
Other meetings planned for the group will be in May in KwaZulu-Natal and the last two in Mpumalanga, including ministers’ meeting.
The G20 economies represent around 85% of the global gross domestic product, over 75% of the global trade and about two-thirds of the world population.
“Tourism plays a critical role in the global economy and is one of the vital economic sectors contributing significantly to socio-economic development, but it remains vulnerable to natural and manmade hazards.
“For many countries, the tourism economy is growing faster than most other economic sectors. With its extensive value chain and labour absorption capacity, it is acknowledged as a tool for inclusive economic development, playing a significant role in responding to socioeconomic challenges,” said the department.
It said the country’s tourism priorities for the 2025 G20 presidency were aligned with the continent’s priorities as expressed in Agenda 2063 as well as with the core objectives contained in the UN Tourism Agenda for Africa.
It includes developing a strategic roadmap to guide the promotion of sustainable tourism development across Africa.
Delegates expressed appreciation for South Africa’s intention to build on the efforts and successes of the last three G20 presidencies and to champion Africa’s developmental agenda.
The department said that in 2023, G20 countries welcomed 69% of all international tourists and accounted for 71% of tourism exports worldwide. In the same year, tourism direct GDP reached 3.1%.
It added that tourism was an important economic sector in Africa and in 2023, the continent’s tourism direct GDP was $85 billion, representing 3.5% of the region’s GDP.
“This value is still below the pre-pandemic $94 billion reached in 2019 (4.3% share),” the department said.
The challenges facing the African travel and tourism sector include air connectivity, limited investments, financing for tourism development, positioning and marketing, social and environmental sustainability, as well as safety and security amongst others.
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