By Simon Nare
Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille has admitted that some of the department’s strategies are outdated and must be reviewed to achieve the goal of positioning the department as a key driver of economic growth and job creation.
Delivering her budget vote speech for the 2025/26 financial year in the National Assembly, she agreed with the tourism portfolio committee that the department must stop repeating the same actions and expecting different results.
“We will review outdated strategies, including heritage & cultural tourism, rural tourism, service excellence and climate change,” De Lille said.
The minister committed the department to implementing its plans and enhancing governance and oversight to ensure it met the objectives outlined in the Tourism Growth Partnership Plan.
She maintained that the department, the private sector and communities were transforming tourism into what she described as a turbo charger for inclusive growth, jobs and community upliftment.
De Lille tabled a R2.434 billion budget. It got the nod from all Government of National Unity MPs, although they pointed to several shortcomings on delivery, transformation and spending.
Most opposition political parties rejected the budget.
De Lille admitted that underspending in a country with such a high unemployment rate was a slap in the face for the poor and she undertook to do better in the upcoming financial year.
She told the house that the biggest chunk of the budget would be allocated to the South African Tourism at R1.3 billion.
A total of R331 million would go to destination development with most earmarked for the Working for Tourism Programme, and R331 million would be allocated to Tourism Sector Support Services. These included tourism incentive programmes like the Green Tourism Incentive Programme, the Market Access Programme, the Tourism Grading Programme, and the Tourism Transformation Fund.
“This budget vote represents our commitment to action—legislative, operational and strategic.
“It aligns resources to remove barriers, strengthen partnerships and embed innovation and technology so that tourism can realise the full potential of our people and places,” De Lille said.
The minister acknowledged concerns raised by the portfolio committee’s budget report, saying the department would attend to them.
These included the incomplete Tourism Amendment Bill, outdated strategies, the implementation of the community tourism aftercare programme and digital transformation and risk management.
The minister promised that the department would align the Bill with the White Paper with a focus on short-term rentals, grading enforcement and governance.
“We will enhance all new fund contracts for GTIP, TEF, and TTF to include clear deliverables. This will include 60-day approval targets and consequence management when we fail to meet these targets,” she vowed.
The minister said the tourism aftercare programme would support community lodges through business mentorship, marketing linkages, governance training and asset protection.
Digital transformation and risk management Initiatives entailed developing a Digital Maturity Roadmap, a real-time tourism dashboard, data analytics and mobile tools.
She added that the department will implement the Sector Risk and Mitigation Plan, with a focus on climate change, health, safety and governance
“Other interventions to improve governance include quarterly public dashboards for EPWP (Expanded Public Works Programs) placements, fund disbursements, policy reviews and risk metrics,” she said.
The minister also highlighted successes from the previous year, with an increase in international visitors reaching a peak of 9.1 million.
Domestic overnight travel continued its upward trajectory, with 40 million trips recorded compared to 37.7 million in the previous year.
She said international tourists contributed R92.8 billion in the previous financial year, while domestic tourism grew by 7.6%, reaching R133.1 billion in the 2024/25 financial year.
“Domestic tourism is the bedrock of our sector, and to strengthen it further, the Department of Tourism and South African Tourism will provide support for events.
“We directed 76% of our budget to growth and jobs initiatives, with 40% of procurement from SMMEs and 40% from women-owned businesses. We paid 100% of compliant invoices within 30 days, improving supplier confidence,” she said.
The department supported 266 SMMEs in participating in global trade shows through the Market Access Support Programme and spent R144 million to train and deploy 2305 tourism monitors.
The department also completed and implemented the Tourism Master Plan and finalised the Tourism White Paper and Tourism Route Development Marketing Plan in the past financial year.
Another notable highlight was the launch of the Trusted Tour Operator Scheme, which welcomed Chinese and Indian travelers with digital visas in its first phase.
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