Minister of Tourism, Patricia de Lille, and the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI), Dean Macpherson, have announced a formal agreement aimed at strengthening the preparation of priority tourism infrastructure projects and unlocking greater private sector investment into South Africa's tourism economy.
A joint statement said that under this three-year agreement, DPWI’s Infrastructure South Africa (ISA) will support the Department of Tourism with specialist resources, including investment expertise and transaction advisory services required to strengthen the pipeline of projects and improve their readiness for investment.
Minister de Lille said that Tourism Policy is Economic Policy. “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. 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.”
De Lille added that they must turn tourism potential into bankable projects, investment and ultimately jobs.
The statement added that 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 and ownership of its Investment Facilitation Service while Infrastructure South Africa will provide the specialist technical and transaction support required under the agreement.”
The statement said that Infrastructure South Africa is a programme established within DPWI that provides services for infrastructure planning, management and delivery.
Minister Macpherson said that through this partnership, they 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.”
The statement added that the timing of the partnership is also significant as the Department of Tourism prepares to host the second Tourism Infrastructure Investment Summit on 30 September 2026 and 1 October 2026 in Gauteng.
The statement concluded that the Summit will build on the inaugural event held in 2025, which created a dedicated platform to connect tourism infrastructure projects with potential investors and financiers.
yogashen.pillay@nationalmg.co.za