Creating opportunities

South Africa’s Tourism industry has the potential to boost the country’s economy and create significant employment opportunities. An ambitious new private-sector initiative, launched by the Youth Employment Service (YES) and financial services group Sanlam, is expected to be a game-changer for this critical sector.

Youth4Tourism is a transformative initiative created to grow the tourism industry in South Africa. It brings together a wide range of businesses as well as funders and partners to unlock the potential of youth and help stimulate one of the most significant sectors of the economy.

According to the World Travel & Tourism Council, Africa’s travel and tourism sector is expected to create almost 14 million new jobs over the next decade, with growth of 6.8% annually between 2022 and 2032.

Businesses from across all sectors are encouraged to join the initiative and help nurture tomorrow’s leaders

So far, YES, founding partner Sanlam and leading corporate partners such as Mercedes-Benz South Africa, Hollard, Pizza Hut, Fairtree, Ford, Tourism Business Council of South Africa and more have joined the initiative to create future-facing jobs for youth while boosting the tourism sector.

The country’s tourism sector, according to Statistics South Africa, is larger than both the manufacturing and agriculture sectors, and is structurally key to growing the domestic economy through both leisure and business travel.

Phase one of the project sees youth across South Africa being put to work to promote and support tourist attractions nationally, through showcasing their home towns and surrounds and – through their creative outputs – guiding both local and international tourists across the country.

‘South Africa’s tourism sector is rebounding rapidly from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and is a major driving engine to create youth jobs and drive economic growth. Through this initiative we hope to add further momentum to the sector,’ says YES CEO Ravi Naidoo.

Paul Hanratty, CEO of Sanlam, adds that close to 250 000 young people lost their jobs in the first quarter of 2023, which brings the total number of unemployed youth to 4.9 million. ‘This is devastating in a country where our demographic dividend should be our greatest asset.

‘Through this programme, we want to galvanise the private sector to sponsor the placement of talented young people in the tourism sector. We’re calling for other corporates to join us. It’s our collective responsibility to change this narrative, for the sake of our youth and the country.

‘At the same time, we are focusing on upskilling young people in the gig economy, specifically enhancing their skill capabilities in driving tourism. By doing so, we aim to create micro-entrepreneurs. SMMEs are the backbone of our economy, and empowering our youth to start viable ventures is critical for the future health of our nation.’

Hanratty says that ‘Sanlam is purpose-led and committed to empowering all Africans to be financially confident, secure and prosperous. This must start with our young people. They must be cherished and given everything they need to live their most meaningful lives. By investing in our youth, we foster pride for our nation.’

Naidoo urges businesses across sectors to join the movement and create diverse work opportunities for youth within the sector. ‘The opportunities are endless – tour guides, event co-ordinators, content creators, concierges, chefs, resort managers, travel agents and many, many more,’ he says.

Youth4Tourism is an innovative endeavour established to foster the expansion of South Africa’s tourism sector

Organisations can join this movement in two ways, namely by funding youth jobs through innovative placement partners identified by YES (this can form part of their B-BBEE or social impact initiatives); and/or by identifying events, conferences and content creation opportunities for talented young South Africans to create content to showcase South Africa as tourism destination via the Youth Content Collective ‘gig’ work platform.

‘It’s time to bring together corporate South Africa like never before to tell our tourism story to the world,’ says Naidoo. ‘We’re talking TikToks up Table Mountain, informative Instagram reels about the big five, photo essays on lesser-known villages, YouTube videos on ecotourism destinations, and blog reviews around local cuisine.

‘By sharing our stories with the world through the honing of relevant digital skills, we can spark a wave of tourism that can transform the entire economy and create thousands of jobs.’

The journey begins with you(th). To join the movement and create youth jobs while boosting the tourism sector, go to youth4tourism.co.za.