Minister of Tourism Patricia de Lille. (Photo by Brenton Geach/Gallo Images via Getty Images)
SCORE: A
Patricia de Lille is seen as humble, accessible and responsive to concerns of the industry, which sees her as a welcome team player. She has intervened immediately when safety issues affecting tourists have been brought to her attention, getting hold of the police and other authorities to take action. De Lille has taken up the industry’s call to work on a new visa system together with Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber to boost tourist arrivals. She has also focused on highlighting townships and dorpies as tourist attractions to draw desperately needed economic activity to peri-urban and rural regions of the country. The tourism business sector was concerned when it appeared her short tenure would come to an end after the May 2024 elections and delighted when she remained in the portfolio. De Lille’s challenge will be to ensure the visa system is finalised and rolled out and that she keeps up the pace of her discussions with the sector.