Through a formalised strategic partnership between the Departments of Tourism and Public Works and Infrastructure, government will unlock investment in tourism infrastructure and drive economic growth.
“If we want tourism to make an even greater contribution to economic growth and job creation, we must build the infrastructure that makes investment and new tourism experiences possible,” Minister of Tourism Patricia de Lille said on Tuesday.
De Lille and Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson have formalised a strategic partnership through a Memorandum of Agreement to strengthen the preparation of priority tourism infrastructure projects and unlock greater private-sector investment in South Africa’s tourism economy.
Under the three-year agreement, the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure will support the Department of Tourism with specialist resources, including investment expertise and transaction advisory services. These resources will help strengthen the project pipeline and improve projects’ readiness for investment.
“This partnership will also facilitate the transfer of skills, knowledge and technical competencies to strengthen the Department of Tourism's long-term capacity to prepare and facilitate tourism infrastructure investment. We must turn tourism potential into bankable projects, investment and ultimately jobs,” de Lille said.
The agreement comes just days after President Cyril Ramaphosa launched Phase Three of the Government-Business Partnership, with tourism identified as one of the key sectors capable of accelerating inclusive economic growth and employment.
The Department of Tourism will retain overall accountability for and ownership of its Investment Facilitation Service, while Infrastructure South Africa will provide the specialist technical and transaction support required under the agreement.
Infrastructure South Africa is a programme within the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure that provides infrastructure planning, management and delivery services.
“Through this partnership, we can help move priority tourism infrastructure projects from plans on paper to shovels in the ground, while crowding in private-sector investment and creating new economic opportunities across the country. This is another practical step towards our goal of turning South Africa into a construction site and using infrastructure as a catalyst for economic growth and job creation,” Macpherson said.
The partnership is also timely, as the Department of Tourism prepares to host the second Tourism Infrastructure Investment Summit in Gauteng from 30 September to 1 October 2026.
The summit builds on the inaugural event held in 2025, which created a dedicated platform to connect tourism infrastructure projects with potential investors and financiers.
The second instalment will continue to build a pipeline of credible, bankable tourism projects from both the public and private sectors. -SAnews.gov.za
