'sa Is Prepared For G20' - De Lille

Hosting the 20 th G20 Summit in Johannesburg on November 22 and 23 will go a long way towards strengthening the tourism sectors contribution to economic growth and job creation numbers, said Minister of Tourism Patricia de Lille in an op ed for Tourism Update .

Around 40 heads of state are expected to attend, she highlighted. Together, members G20, EU and AU account for around 85 of global GDP, 75 international trade and two thirds of the world's population.

Throughout the course of this year, over 135 G20 meetings will be held throughout the country including the Tourism Ministers G20 Meeting in Mpumalanga in September.

De Lille pointed to other successfully hosted international events in South Africa including the 15 th BRICS Summit in 2023 and declared the country is ready and excited to host delegates from all over the world and showcase all the diverse and unique tourism offerings across all nine provinces.

Air capacity recovery has been solid for South Africa. Currently, there are active international routes connecting 72 cities worldwide, serviced by 55 airlines, offering over 7.8 million seats across over 52 000 flights in 2024, she added.