Johannesburg, 6 August 2021

The Tourism Business Council of South Africa (TBCSA) welcomes the appointment of the new Minister of Tourism, Lindiwe Sisulu. This follows the announcement by President Ramaphosa on Thursday evening (5 August 2021).

We want to thank the outgoing Minister of Tourism, Mmamoloko Kubayi, and her team for the work she has done in the sector, and we wish her well in her new portfolio.

The President outlined that the country faces a few challenges, including the COVID-19 vaccination programme, peace and stability after recent unrest, and mobilising resources to rebuild the economy. The tourism sector contributes 8.6% to the GDP of the economy and employs over 1.5m people, and it will be a catalyst in rebuilding the economy.

“The appointment of Minister Sisulu continues to show the importance of tourism in the economy and we welcome it as the Tourism Business Council. The sector faces various challenges, including unfavorable travel advisories and red-list by critical source markets countries, transport permits, adoption of vaccine passports, and negative brand image due to unrest. We believe that the new Minister’s experience and expertise will help the tourism sector deal with the immediate and long-term challenges.” Tshivhengwa says