Chairperson, the past year has been one of great successes for tourism in South Africa. We can look back at a gratifying year during which the country came together to show the world how to host a megasporting event like the Fifa Soccer World Cup, professionally and with an unmistakable African flair.
The event, which was rated as the best Soccer World Cup ever by Fifa and also its most commercially successful, attracted more than 300 000 visitors to our country. We also enjoyed unprecedented positive brand exposure, as about 30 billion cumulative viewers of the event experienced our country as they had never seen it before.
Tourism has taken up the central place it should fulfil in terms of the country's developmental agenda and its global role as a brand ambassador for our country. Now it is time for us to look ahead and continue to raise the bar.
The first ever National Tourism Sector Strategy, NTSS, launched in March 2011, is the road map that will guide us with regard to leveraging the position of our industry over the medium term. We understand that tourism is poised to play a greater role than ever before in the lives of South Africans with regard to its economic contribution and its job creation potential. At all levels of government, and in close partnership with the industry, we have committed ourselves to fast-paced and shared growth in our sector.
Never has the potential of tourism in South Africa been greater, but this also means that the expectation that all spheres of government should deliver is greater than before. Let us continue to meet and exceed the high standards we have set for ourselves and use tourism as a strategic tool to change and to improve the lives of all South Africans.
Our destination is currently well positioned, and our collaborative efforts before and during the Fifa Soccer World Cup have paid off. International tourist arrivals for 2010 registered a year-on-year growth of 15,1%, with more than eight million foreign tourist arrivals in our country.
I am pleased to be able to announce today that South Africa in 2011 has continued on its very positive growth trajectory with regard to foreign tourist arrivals. We were confident that South Africa would not experience a post-World-Cup dip in tourist arrivals after our hosting of the event. It always happens in countries, but we recorded growth in every month of 2010, including after the Fifa Soccer World Cup.
The latest figures show that foreign tourist arrivals in South Africa grew by 9,3% in January 2011, compared to the same period in 2010. There was positive growth from every single region in the world, although the slower growth from Europe showed that markets are certainly still under pressure from tough economic conditions. Overall, foreign tourist arrivals in our country grew by 1,1% from Europe; 10,6% from North America - that is good growth from that market; 19,1% from Central and South America; 29,5% from Australasia; 29,4% from Asia; 13,2% from the Middle East; and very importantly, 10,8% from our own continent.
It is important that we now work harder than ever to capitalise on the "top of mind" awareness that the Fifa Soccer World Cup has generated for our country.
One important tool for doing this will be the rigorous and disciplined pursuit of the targets in the NTSS. The strategy rests on three pillars, namely driving the tourism economy, enhancing visitor experiences and ensuring sustainability and good governance in our industry.
We aim to increase the number of foreign tourist arrivals in South Africa from seven million in 2009 to 15 million by 2020. We believe it is possible. We also aim to increase tourism's total contribution to the economy from R189 billion in 2009 to R490 billion by 2020 and to create 225 000 new jobs by the year 2020.
In order to streamline and align our efforts better, the department has also undertaken a review of current tourism legislation. We intend to table a tourism Bill in this Parliament before the end of the financial year, and we look forward to constructive interaction with members as part as that process.
We must also expand our contribution to economic growth and job creation. This must be done with the further establishment of a strong international presence in terms of not only marketing, but also promoting our brand. There is tough competition out there. In this context we are strategically rebalancing our portfolio as well as reviewing our market segmentation and understanding of the required product diversification. Our increased focus meetings, incentive trips, conferences and events constitute an important component of this approach.
We understand that co-ordinated bidding mechanisms are required, and we will therefore this year establish a national convention bureau under the auspices of SA Tourism. With regard to our portfolio, we will certainly not neglect our bread and butter markets in Europe, the United Kingdom and North America. You will, however, see a concerted effort with regard to strengthening our presence in new markets in India, China, South America and on our own continent.
It is absolutely vital, from our perspective, to give much greater priority to building the domestic tourism sector as a mainstay of sustainability. We can do much more to encourage our fellow South Africans to enjoy the magnificent variety and authenticity that our destination has to offer.
Of course, like all destinations, we are vulnerable with regard to what is happening in the international environment. My colleagues here, hon members, may recall last year, as one example, that we had the ash cloud over Europe. It had a tremendously negative impact on the industry, and this week there is again an ash cloud over Europe, although not with the same impact but an impact, nevertheless. Therefore, domestic tourism is a very important hedging strategy to ensure that we continue to be sustainable.
Domestic tourism forms the backbone of our tourism industry. In 2009 a total of 14,6 million adult South Africans undertook more than 30 million domestic trips, with a total annual spend of more than R22 billion. A total of 75% of all tourism volume in South Africa was derived from domestic tourists in 2009, making it by far the biggest segment of the industry.
Our Sho't Left domestic campaign is aimed at making travelling more accessible and affordable, and we have made a significant investment with regard to marketing, including through television, print, radio and outdoor advertising and events.
We will, in close partnership with the provinces, be developing a domestic tourism strategy in order to ensure that we unlock the enormous growth potential in our domestic market. Through the NTSS, we aim to increase the number of domestic tourists from 14,6 million in 2009 to 18 million by the year 2020. It is more important than ever that our industry remains innovative in order to encourage people to keep travelling. An important element of this is campaigns that offer consumers affordable and value-for- money experiences, especially in the local market.
In conclusion, I would like to thank our Deputy Minister, Ms Tokozile Xasa, for her enthusiasm for using tourism to make a meaningful difference in people's lives. My thanks also go to our director-general, Mr Kingsley Makhubela, for the exceptional way in which he has led our relatively new department. Thank you also to the entire team at the department for your commitment and your dedication.
I would also like to express my appreciation to the board and leadership of SA Tourism for partnering with us and helping to put the tourism brand of our country on the map like never before.
We are very appreciative of our constructive relationship with the provinces, with local government, and with the private sector. Thank you also to the members of the select committee, under the able chairmanship of the hon Gamede, for joining hands with us to take tourism to new heights.
I firmly believe that the collective goals and targets we set for ourselves are an accurate expression of the current potential of the tourism industry and are certainly achievable, if we all work together.
I am confident that 2011 will be another great year of growth for the tourism industry, but, more importantly, that it will place us firmly on the path to achieving our ambitious vision. In my reply, I will respond to the issues raised by the hon members. Thank you very much. [Applause.]