Durban: The Deputy Minister of Tourism Maggie Sotyu has called for stronger collaboration, innovation, and community-driven growth in Africa's tourism sector. Sotyu made the call as leaders and stakeholders gathered for the Business Opportunity Networking Day (BONDay), the official precursor to Africa's Travel Indaba 2026.
According to South African Government News Agency, Africa's Travel Indaba 2026 officially kicks off in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, with the BONDay programme, which launches critical conversations around policy, entrepreneurship, destination competitiveness, sports tourism, culture, and digital transformation - all designed to showcase new growth opportunities for African tourism economies. Taking place from 11-14 May 2026, under the theme: 'Unlimited Africa: Growing Africa's Tourism Economy', the Indaba is set to deliver significant economic benefits for the city.
Addressing delegates, the Deputy Minister described BONDay as more than a programme opening, calling it 'a celebration of Africa's collective potential'. It takes place during Africa Month, a period that reflects the continent's unity, resilience, and shared aspirations. Sotyu highlighted tourism as one of Africa's most powerful economic drivers, noting its role in job creation, investment attraction, and entrepreneurship. Despite global uncertainties, she said the sector continues to show resilience and growth.
Sotyu emphasized that tourism remains one of the continent's most powerful economic drivers, creating jobs, attracting investment, stimulating entrepreneurship, and connecting Africa to the world. However, challenges such as infrastructure, market access, safety, skills development, competitiveness, and changing global travel dynamics require that the sector remains agile, innovative, and united. She pointed out that this year's theme is both an aspiration and a strategic call to action, noting that Africa is among the fastest-growing tourism regions globally, according to UN Tourism Africa.
The Deputy Minister stressed that unlocking Africa's tourism potential will depend on collaboration over fragmentation, partnerships over isolation, and innovation over complacency. At the heart of Africa's tourism future, she noted, are communities, entrepreneurs, and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), which form the backbone of the tourism value chain.
According to the World Bank, tourism supported 357 million jobs globally in 2024, or one in every ten jobs worldwide, because tourism creates direct pathways for communities, small businesses, and local enterprises to participate meaningfully in economic growth. Sotyu expressed hope that BONDay would inspire stakeholders to position tourism as an accessible and practical opportunity for communities across the continent, capable of uplifting households, empowering MSMEs, and creating shared prosperity from the ground up.
She also emphasized the importance of innovation in a rapidly evolving global environment, pointing to the growing influence of digital platforms in shaping travel decisions and destination marketing. Sotyu highlighted that Africa must embrace innovation, technology, and bold storytelling to ensure its destinations remain globally competitive, culturally authentic, and future-ready. Through BONDay, the critical role that sport and culture play in advancing Africa's tourism economy and strengthening global competitiveness is also explored.
Sotyu further highlighted the importance of public-private partnerships in unlocking sustainable tourism growth, noting that governments provide policy direction, infrastructure support, and enabling frameworks for tourism to flourish, while the private sector brings innovation, investment, agility, and market responsiveness. Positioning Africa's Travel Indaba as a critical platform for trade, dialogue, and collaboration, Sotyu said the event goes beyond a traditional trade show, serving as a strategic economic platform for knowledge exchange, market access, policy dialogue, partnership building, and continental growth.
She concluded by encouraging delegates, exhibitors, buyers, and policymakers to use the platform to foster meaningful engagement, strengthen partnerships, and pursue innovative solutions. May BONDay sets the tone for a week of meaningful engagement, bold thinking, and transformative opportunities. May it inspire communities, empower MSMEs, strengthen partnerships, and remind everyone that Africa's tourism future is brightest when innovation is bold, collaboration is intentional, and growth is collective.