The tourism sector in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region is expected to create an additional 3,17 million job opportunities from 2024 to 2034.  

The Programme Officer for Policy and Marketing Development at the SADC Secretariat, Marygoreth Mushi, made a revelation of the projections Friday while presenting an overall status of tourism in the SADC region.

Making a presentation at the diplomatic corps briefing session on Discover Namibia, a premier tourism destination in Gaborone, Mushi said tourism employment is projected to reach about 11 million jobs by 2034.

Mushi said tourism is a powerful engine driving economic growth, job creation and inclusive development in the SADC region.

“The projections, as we can see, to 2034, we expect to rise in terms of employment generation to 10.73 million and in terms of gross domestic product contribution to about N$1,6 billion (US$94.2 million) in the region. These statistics are very much based on what we have received from Ministries of Tourism from the member states but also from United Nations Tourism and the World Travel and Tourism Council, which is the engine of research and statistics in tourism.”

At a Committee of Tourism Ministers meeting of November 2017, the SADC Secretariat was directed to coordinate the process of formulating a comprehensive tourism programme to serve as an overall roadmap for guiding and coordinating the development of a sustainable tourism industry.