Cape Town, South Africa – Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille and Dr. Alistair Mokoena, Country Director for Google South Africa, have signed an agreement aimed at enhancing South Africa’s tourism industry. The partnership, forged in Cape Town, is set to utilize Google’s technological expertise to promote South Africa as a top tourist destination and provide digital training and support to the tourism sector.

According to South African Government News Agency, this collaboration aligns with Minister de Lille’s objective of fully realizing the potential of tourism, leveraging technology to boost visitor arrivals, and thereby supporting economic growth and job creation. De Lille emphasized the importance of this partnership in an era of digital transformation, highlighting the need for support mechanisms within the tourism sector, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMMEs), to adapt to a digital future.

Google’s role in the partnership involves providing access to its initiatives and programs in South Africa, beneficial to the tourism sector. Mokoena expressed excitement about the collaboration, aiming to position South Africa as a premier tourist destination. He noted Google’s commitment to organizing and making information universally accessible and useful, and its plans to roll out various programs in conjunction with the Department of Tourism.

The collaboration will focus on several key areas:

Google will provide insights into global travel trends to guide the Department of Tourism and South African Tourism in targeting specific markets and tailoring experiences to visitor expectations.

Google will undertake specific studies to investigate the impact of digital platforms and online content, sharing the findings with the Ministry at no cost.

The partnership will extend Google’s digital skills training programs, such as the Google Hustle Academy and master classes, to individuals and businesses within the Ministry’s ecosystem. This aims to equip local entrepreneurs with the digital skills necessary to market their offerings online.

Tourism start-ups will be supported by Google programs like the Startup Accelerator and the Black Founders Fund.

Training will also include Google Ads fundamentals, benefitting more than 2,773 South African SMMEs to date.

Google will showcase South African tourism sites and cultural heritage through the Google Arts and Culture Portal.

The collaboration will also involve creating a tourism thought leadership seminar, focusing on the digital opportunities for accelerating economic growth in the tourism sector.

Minister de Lille stated that tapping into Google’s technology for digital skills training and sharing insights will allow South Africa’s tourism industry, particularly SMMEs, to present their offerings innovatively, engaging potential tourists and inspiring them to explore the country.