Tourism

The South African tourism sector has been a major benefactor of the opening up of the economy and the country’s reintegration with the global community. Tourism’s economic contribution is taking on added importance in light of the fact that its expansion has been outperforming growth in the economy at large. The sector’s total contribution to GDP, for example, is expected to grow by 3.6% per annum by 2024. Total income for the accommodation sector rose 10.5% y-o-y in 2013, indicating hoteliers are recovering from the oversupply that resulted from preparations for the 2010 World Cup. International tourist arrivals reached 9.6m in 2013, a 7.1% increase from 2012. Industry participants, be they hotels, travel agents, or the tourist attractions themselves, will need to adapt their offering in recognition of the fact that the international visitor profile is slowly but surely changing. However, problems occasionally arise that may prevent the sector from reaching its full potential, such as a lack of coordination among stakeholders and conflicting agendas between government departments.

This chapter contains an interview with Marcel von Aulock, CEO, Tsogo Sun Group.