SANDTON – Meetings Africa, the largest tourism conference on the continent, was held in Sandton from February 24 to 26, 2025, led by South African Tourism and the Department of Tourism under the leadership of Minister Patricia de Lille.
The 19th edition of this Tourism Business Events Trade Show saw 400 exhibitors from the tourism and hospitality sector representing 26 countries come together to showcase their offerings and forge partnerships. The event took place against the backdrop of South Africa holding the G20 presidency this year, with Mpumalanga province selected to host tourism ministers from G20 member states in September.
Speaking to Highveld Chronicle at Meetings Africa, Southern Africa Tourism Services Association (SATSA) Chairperson and Mpumalanga tourism ambassador, Oupa Pilane, expressed his excitement about the province hosting the G20 Tourism Summit.
“Our responsibility is to ensure that the people of the province feel the impact of the G20 tourism summit. There should be tangible benefits derived from the G20,” said Pilane.
Pilane, who is also the founder of Graskop Gorge, one of the country’s leading tourist attractions, further emphasised the role of the private sector in ensuring that government delivers on its commitments.
“We will advocate for the mobilisation of government and resources. If they can’t do it, we must step in for the benefit of our economy. We see the G20 summit as an opportunity to showcase our province while ensuring that our people benefit from these visits,” he said. Pilane further emphasised the importance of hosting tourism gatherings across different provinces based on their unique strengths. He highlighted that Mpumalanga, as one of the country’s leading safari destinations, is well-suited to host safari-focused events.
Ntwanano Mtungwa, Executive Manager for Tourism at Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency (MTPA), highlighted the agency’s efforts in ensuring that tourism and hospitality businesses from the province were represented at the summit.
“We have brought six tourism businesses to showcase their services and market themselves,” said Mtungwa.
Representing Unique Rose Boutique, one of the six beneficiaries supported by the MTPA, Lerato Serabatsi shared what the opportunity meant to them, “Our experience here has been great. We have met a lot of international people, and we will be organising some group package tours with some of them. We are thankful to the MTPA for making this possible for us.”
Responding to the publication after delivering the State of the Province Address, Mpumalanga Premier Mandla Ndlovu shared what it means for the province to be chosen as the host for the G20 tourism summit.
“We are encouraged by the confidence shown by Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille in our ability to host this event, despite some doubting our capacity, claiming that as a province, we may not have enough accommodation to cater for the influx of visitors,” said Ndlovu.
