Hosting the 2025 G20 in South Africa will provide additional momentum to the country’s tourism sector says South Africa’s Minister of Tourism Patricia de Lille.
South Africa is one of the world’s most exciting and diverse travel destinations as well as a place of incredible beauty, rich cultural heritage and history, and world-class tourism experiences. Ms Patricia de Lille, South Africa’s Minister of Tourism, highlighted the success of the destination in 2024. “South Africa welcomed 8.9 million international visitors last year, which represents a 5.1% increase from 2023,” she said. “While the African continent remains our largest source of tourists, generating 76% of total arrivals, Europe is our second biggest source market with 1.2 million arrivals in 2024. The UK, Germany, and the Netherlands are our top European markets.”
2025 is set to once again see South Africa’s arrivals climb, especially as the country is preparing to host and chair the G20. “This is an exciting year for us. Throughout 2025, South Africa will host over 130 G20 meetings and the year will culminate with the heads of state uniting for the G20 summit in November. This is an historic moment for South Africa as it will be the first time the G20 takes place on the African continent. We will then leverage the hosting of the G20 to showcase all of the diverse tourism offerings across our country with packages in every one of our nine provinces,” Ms De Lille asserted.
