Sandile Nene
The World Eye is firmly focused on South Africa as the president of the G20 and host of the G20 summit in November.
This rally will see the country welcome more than 40 global heads of state on our coasts. The G20 accounts for 85% of the world economy, 75% of international trade, and roughly two-thirds of the world's population.
The summit will be held under the theme of “solidarity, equality and sustainability.” This is in line with the vision of comprehensive growth where all individuals and countries benefit from economic progress.
As the first African nation to host the G20, South Africa highlights issues such as economic inequality, development, climate change and fair trade practices. The G20 platform also helps to further connect the continent and beyond.
The G20 is focused on creating a safe foundation for global economic stability, an important catalyst for implementing broad global commitments such as future agreements and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (Agenda 2030).
Hosting the G20 Summit is an opportunity to showcase everything South Africa has to offer to the world. This includes strengthening the brand as a destination for tourism and business events.
The latest International Conference and Convention Association (ICCA) rankings identified South Africa as the destination for major business events in Africa and the Middle East. South Africa is renowned for its special ability to host world-class, well-known international events such as the BRICS Summit. It was the first African nation to host the Netball World Cup in 2023 and the FIFA World Cup in 2010. These and countless other successful events cement our reputation for being able to host safe, successful global events.
We have also worked to make our country more accessible to international and continental visitors. South Africa offers visa waiver for travelers from 132 countries for a period of 30-90 days, with travelers from 34 countries available to use the E-VISA system. The Ministry of Home Affairs has also implemented an online e-Visa application system that simplifies the visa process for travelers from eligible countries.
Speaking on the 2024 World Trade Ship, Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille, emphasized that she will be greeted with a world-class travel infrastructure with active international routes connecting 72 cities around the world, offering 55 million seats over 78 million seats over 52,000 flights scheduled for 2024.
The attention produced by the G20 is expected to attract visitors from around the world, and will boost international tourism in the coming years. Over 200 conferences will be held in South Africa, with opportunities for tourism, manufacturing, trade and other investment growth in the country. Approximately 200 meetings spread across different states in the country, and the tourism industry will directly benefit from increasing meetings and private tour bookings.
The G20 Summit promises to bring about economic ripple effects as local businesses also increase, contributing to employment and growth in the tourism sector and other sectors. Additionally, South Africa is an attractive destination for business services, with sophisticated digital infrastructure, including mobile networks and high speed broadband.
The hosting of the G20 strengthens the country's height as an attractive and reliable destination for tourism related to conferences, incentives, meetings, exhibitions (mouses). This will increase not only the business event sector, but also the tourism sector in South Africa. The South African mouse industry was valued at R121.8 billion in 2023 and is projected to grow quadruple over the next eight years, reaching R477.9 billion by 2032.
Many successful G20 meetings have already been held, including the famous First Ministers' Meeting and the first Financial and Central Bank Ministerial Meeting. As part of our efforts to introduce our country to the world, the G20 Conference is being held nationwide.
Recently, South Africa has crowned the world's most friendly country, according to a global study by international remittance services. “Residents are known for being warm and welcoming, allowing travelers and visitors to feel safe around them,” the report said.
So let's continue this reputation by welcoming visitors from all over the world with our unique brand's homemade hospitality. Show us all the visitors our beautiful country has to offer and make sure that every visitor leaves our coast with precious memories and joyous hearts.
*Sandile Nene is the representative vice-director of content processing and dissemination in the Government Communications and Information Systems (GCIS).
