This past weekend, Tourism Minister Lindiwe Sisulu officially launched South Africa’s Tourism Month at the !Khwa ttu Heritage Centre just north of Cape Town in the Western Cape.

Sisulu again lauded the sector for an impressive showing in the first half of 2022, when 15.2 million domestic trips were recorded, almost double the 8.6 million trips taken in pre-pandemic 2019.

“This year’s Tourism Month celebrations are incredibly special because we are recognising how far we have come as a sector, in spite of everything we have been through in the last few years,” said Sisulu. 

Tourism Month is celebrated in the same month that the UN World Tourism Organization celebrates World Tourism Day, which falls on September 27 each year. The theme this year is ‘Rethinking Tourism’, compelling the sector to reimagine itself, following the pandemic. 

“This theme is fitting, as the world over, the tourism sector is being reimagined following the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. This theme is also symbolic because, as a sector, the pandemic required us to step back, relook the industry as we know it, and ultimately, see how we rebuild it,” Sisulu said.

Annually, Tourism Month celebrations are held in a different province, to make a contribution to the local economy of the host province.