On 5 March 2025, South Africa hosted a successful first G20 Tourism Working Group meeting, which was chaired by the Director-General of the South African Department of Tourism, Mr Nkhumeleni Victor Vele. The meeting took place virtually, with the South African delegation connecting from OR Tambo Building, the headquarters of the Department of International Relations and Cooperation in Pretoria.
In attendance were senior officials and experts in the tourism sector of the G20 member states, invited guest countries and international organisations. Delegates deliberated on and agreed to work on four priorities for the year, namely:
- People-Centered 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.
The Tourism Working Group will exchange knowledge and best practices among the delegations with a view of crafting actionable deliverables for each priority.
The meeting was the first of a series of engagements that will take place throughout the year, ahead of the G20 Tourism Ministers’ Meeting in September 2025. Going forward, the next G20 Tourism Working Group Meetings are planned to take place in South Africa as follows:
- Second G20 Tourism Working Group Meeting: 11-13 May 2025, KwaZulu-Natal Province
- Third G20 Tourism Working Group Meeting: 10-11 September 2025, Mpumalanga Province
- G20 Tourism Ministers’ Meeting: 12 September 2025, Mpumalanga Province
The Tourism Working Group is among the 16 working groups of the G20, focusing on “solidarity, equality and sustainability,” a theme for South Africa’s Presidency that seeks to harness global will and capabilities to confront the enormous challenges the world is facing.
The G20 economies represent around 85% of the global gross domestic product (GDP), over 75% of the global trade, and about two-thirds of the world population. In 2023, the G20 welcomed 69% of all international tourists and accounted for 71% of tourism exports worldwide. In 2023, Tourism Direct GDP reached 3.1% of the G20 economies.
Tourism is recognised for its immense potential and its significant contribution to the economy. It plays a critical role in the global economy. Tourism 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.
Tourism is an important economic sector in Africa. In 2023 the continent’s, Tourism direct gross domestic product reached 85 US billion representing 3.5% of the region’s GDP. This value is still below the pre-pandemic US billion 94 reached in 2019 (4.3% share).
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.
South Africa’s tourism priorities for the 2025 G20 Presidency are aligned with the continental priorities as expressed in Agenda 2063 as well as with the core objectives contained in the UN Tourism Agenda for Africa – Tourism for Inclusive Growth, the strategic roadmap guiding the promotion of tourism sustainable development across the African continent.
As the first African country to assume the G20 Presidency, South Africa is utilising its term to advance the African developmental agenda. As one of only four developing countries (including Indonesia, India and Brazil) in the G20, the meeting also supported South Africa’s intent to build upon the work of the last three Presidencies of these countries to champion the agenda of the global South within the group. Appreciating the composition of the G20 as a bloc of developing and developed countries, the work of the Tourism Group also endeavours to strengthen North-South Cooperation and commit to multilateralism within the tourism industry and global governance at large.
