Tourism a growth catalyst, says tourism minister
Tourism Minister Derek Hanekom says Cabinet agrees that South African tourism’s consistent growth is ‘low hanging fruit’ for investment
Cabinet agrees South African tourism’s consistent growth is "low hanging fruit" for investment, approving funds intended to be used to "bid aggressively" for business tourism such as international association conferences and for the improvement of local destinations, Tourism Minister Derek Hanekom said on Tuesday Speaking to Business Day on the sidelines of Meetings Africa conference in Sandton, Hanekom said a R494m allocation from the Treasury in February — on top of a R2bn annual budget — was part of broader fiscal stance on economic growth, while preserving the social network. While tourist numbers in 2016 had been boosted in part by the weak rand, further growth was expected due to ongoing global and regional trends and South Africa was expecting to capitalise on this, Hanekom said.
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