UN Tourism Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili used the opening day of the Tourism Investment Summit in Cape Town this week to position South Africa as a continental gateway for private tourism capital, launching a new investor guide and pressing for investments that go “beyond bricks and mortar.” 

“South Africa is one of the most attractive destinations for tourism investment,” Zurab said as he opened the maiden ourism Investment Summit and unveiled the Tourism Doing Business Guide – Investing in South Africa.

Pololikashvili framed the guide as a practical roadmap for investors, saying it “provides investors with a practical roadmap of opportunities, incentives, and projects. It is designed to build confidence and facilitate concrete commitments.” 

He also pointed to South Africa’s tourism scale as evidence of opportunity: “Last year alone, the country welcomed almost 9 million international arrivals, alongside 47 million domestic trips,” he told delegates, noting tourism’s sizable 12% plus contribution to the economy of South Africa.

Going beyond the national guide, the Secretary-General used the platform to unveil a first-of-its-kind regional publication — an Investing in Africa guidebook — and argued the continent is a dynamic frontier for tourism capital. “Together, South Africa’s national guide and Africa’s regional roadmap send a clear message: tourism is not only open for investment, but ready to lead with sustainability, innovation and inclusion,” he said. 

The Secretary-General also underscored that tourism investment must go beyond infrastructure. “Investing in tourism means mobilizing resources to enable access to education and human capital development,” he said, announcing the delivery of 100 UN Tourism Online Academy Scholarships to South Africa to boost youth empowerment and skills development.

The South African Tourism Investment Summit, taking place on 9th and 10th September 2025, has convened global leaders, policymakers, investors, and industry stakeholders in Cape Town to drive investment and develop a robust investment pipeline for South Africa’s tourism industry. The aim is to further develop destination development projects by showcasing tender ready investment opportunities.

This invitation only event is expected to offer a curated audience access to key strategic conversations, moulding and shaping the future of the South African Tourism Sector.

South Africa’s Minister of Tourism, Patricia de Lille, who hosted the summit as a G20 legacy project, delivered the opening address and provided the national investment context that was backed by the  UN Tourism Chief. 

Minister De Lille presented eight flagship, bankable projects — ranging from the God’s Window Skywalk in Mpumalanga to the Hole in the Wall Resort in the Eastern Cape — and said the eight offerings together represent nearly R1 billion in investment-ready opportunities. “This Summit marks the beginning of that answer. This is our inaugural Tourism Investment Summit, a G20 legacy project,” she told the room.

De Lille also pointed to recent policy changes intended to broaden financing options, noting the Amended National Treasury Regulation 16 for Public-Private Partnerships (effective 1 June 2025) and urging investors to propose blended finance, design-build-operate and other innovative models. 

“With the right mix, we can build infrastructure, create jobs, and uplift communities, all at once,” she said, while highlighting major private developments such as the V&A Waterfront Granger Bay project and Club Med’s KwaZulu-Natal resort as early signs of confidence.

The summit — convening ministers, investors and private developers — closed its opening session with a clear call from both the UN and South Africa’s tourism ministry: channel investment into a pipeline that delivers returns and jobs, skills and inclusive growth across the country and region. The initiative aligns with South Africa’s broader economic goals – economic growth and job creation in the South African Tourism sector, and the G20 Sustainable Tourism Framework.