Netwerk24 reports that tourism now provides more work than mining, with one out of every 22 working South Africans (4.5%) employed in that sector.  

According to a Statistics SA report released in December on tourism in 2015, the number of people in the sector increased in that year, even though it was a poor year for the sector.  2015 was the year in which more stringent visa regulations had an effect on the number of tourists who visited SA.  By all indications, 2016 was a much better year as a result of a relaxation of the visa requirements.  According to Stats SA, 32,186 new posts were created in tourism in 2015 to bring the total of people in the sector to 711,746, which was 4.7% more than in 2014.  However, tourism’s contribution to GDP is still relatively low at 3.1%, against mining’s 8%.

• Read this report by Hanlie Stadler in full in Afrikaans at Netwerk24 (limited access)

Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page