PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa delivered the speech of the day at the Africa’s Travel Indaba 2026 exhibition, at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre, Durban, on Tuesday morning. Ramaphosa highlighted that the tourism industry is not only focused on developing the economy, he described it as “a living way that shows what we are as people.”
He noted that South Africa welcomed 10.5 million international visitors last year, and a quarter of the arrivals came from the SADC region – showing that “Africans choose Africa.” He also emphasized the work on behalf of South Africa and neighboring countries to highlight the SADC Tourism UNIVISA to make it easier to travel the countries of this region without getting stuck at the borders.
“We are working to open our borders to one place and develop cross-border routes that reflect the richness of our region. When Africans travel within Africa, we strengthen our economy, deepen our cultural ties and build an integrated continent. At the beginning of this year, in my State of the World speech, I made a call to our tourism industry, authorities and communities. I said: “Now we must promote unique cultural, historical and natural attractions that show the nature of the world.”
After delivering his speech, Ramaphosa led the process of signing the tourism pledge. This pledge affirms a shared commitment to growing Africa’s tourism economy, telling Africa’s stories and working together to build a better Africa and a better world through tourism, cooperation, and sharing the benefits of development.