Document: National Tourism Sector Strategy

The tourism industry in South Africa  has grown considerably since the country‟s first democratic elections in 1994. The number of foreign visitor arrivals increased from just more than 3 million in 1993 to over 9,9 million in 2009 of which, just over 7 million were tourists. Foreign visitor arrivals for the period January to November 2010 was 10.3 million of which 7.3 million were tourists. The African continent is the largest source of foreign visitor arrivals, and the region contributed an additional 414 294 visitor arrivals in 2009 – a growth of 5,6% since 2008. The air markets in Africa grew by 3,3% in 2009, continuing its steady growth since 2002. The land markets in Africa also increased by 5,7% in 2009. Research indicates that  domestic tourism decreased by 8% in 2009, with 30 million trips undertaken compared to the 33 million in 2008.

The tourism sector is  not only a multifaceted industry that contributes to a variety of economic sectors, but also a labour-intensive industry with the capacity to create jobs. The 2010 Tourism Satellite Account (TSA), which measures the tourism sector‟s direct contribution to the country's economy, estimates this contribution at about  R67 billion, or 3% of South Africa's gross domestic product (GDP). It further estimates that about  in 2008, a total of  599 412  people (or approximately 4,4% of total employment) are directly employed by the tourism industry, and that domestic tourism contributes 52% of total tourism consumption.

Tourism is a priority economic sector in the  government's Medium-Term Strategic Framework (MTSF) 2009 election manifesto, which identifies the following overall priorities:

• Creating decent work and sustainable livelihoods
•  Education
•  Health
• Rural development, food security and land reform
• The fight against crime and corruption, and building cohesive and sustainable communities

Cabinet approved South Africa‟s New Growth Plan at a special meeting held  in October 2010. The plan identifies tourism  as  one of the six core pillars of  growth, with the other pillars being infrastructure development, the agricultural value chain, the mining value chain, the green economy, and manufacturing sectors in the Industrial Policy Action Plan (IPAP2).