Africa’s Travel Indaba 2025 officially opened in Durban, South Africa, on Tuesday, with Deputy President Paul Mashatile emphasizing the need for collective efforts to promote sustainable tourism across the continent.
Speaking at the opening ceremony in the coastal city of Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, Mashatile highlighted Africa’s rich cultural heritage and the significant economic potential of the tourism sector. He projected that by 2030, tourism would contribute 10.4% to Africa’s gross domestic product (GDP), up from 6.8% today.
In South Africa, tourism currently makes up 8.9% of GDP and supports 1.68 million jobs. Mashatile shared plans to increase this to over two million jobs by 2030.
Africa’s Travel Indaba is one of the continent’s largest leisure trade shows, owned by South African Tourism. The event’s primary goal is to expand market access for African tourism products, showcasing the vast tourism offerings across the continent.
This year’s three-day event, themed “Unlimited Africa,” has attracted around 1,300 exhibitors and 1,200 buyers from 55 countries. A major focus of the event is promoting inter-African travel and breaking down barriers to greater tourism collaboration within the continent.
During his speech, Mashatile also acknowledged the challenges Africa faces, including political instability, poverty, unemployment, and inequality, which have caused widespread hardship and violence. Despite these challenges, he reiterated the importance of tourism as a driver of economic recovery and social development across Africa.
