South Africa’s Minister of Tourism, Patricia de Lille, and South African Tourism CEO, Nombulelo Guliwe, are in India to mark 30 years of diplomatic relations and democracy between the two countries. Their visit also highlights South Africa’s upcoming G20 Presidency in 2025, reinforcing the strong ties rooted in shared democratic values and mutual respect. Minister de Lille highlighted discussions with leading Indian airlines on a potential code-sharing partnership, aimed at strengthening air connectivity and boosting tourism.
She also announced the introduction of an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) and the Trusted Tour Operator Scheme (TTOS) to simplify visa processes for Indian tourists. The goal is to increase Indian arrivals to South Africa from 3.9% to 10% of total visitors by 2025.
The Minister also emphasized South Africa’s preparations for the 2027 ICC T20 World Cup, using the event to attract cricket fans and experience-driven travelers. South Africa, gearing up for its G20 Presidency in 2025, plans to deepen economic and cultural ties with India.
Emphasising the critical role of tourism in connecting India and South Africa, South African Tourism CEO Nombulelo Guliwe stated “Tourism acts as a gateway to building deeper connections between India and South Africa. Through innovations in visa facilitation and partnerships with Indian tour operators, we aim to make South Africa more accessible and attractive to this growing market. 2023 stood out as a significant milestone, highlighted by an impressive 43% increase in travellers from India compared to the previous year. Building on this success, our early 2024 roadshow facilitated over 12,000 meetings, generating more than 160,000 on-the-spot leads for South African Tourism. With this momentum, we are ambitiously targeting 100,000 Indian tourists by the end of FY 2024-25. South Africa witnessed a significant influx of tourists from India, with a total of 57,992 arrivals recorded from January to October 2024”
The country is particularly focused on attracting travelers from Mumbai, which accounts for 64.3% of Indian arrivals.
In addition to tourism, the Minister will engage with Indian leaders across various sectors, including infrastructure, energy, agriculture, and education, to strengthen bilateral cooperation and drive sustainable growth.
