Domestic tourism is the key to creating sustainable jobs for locals, says deputy tourism minister Thokozile Xasa.

Government news agency SAnews reports Xasa’s comments: “It is highly critical to understand that we need to continue to build a sustainable tourism industry; we cannot rely on foreign arrivals too heavily, as this market can be very volatile.”

Xasa was speaking at the launch of Tourism Month, the theme of which is ‘Tourism and Sustainable Energy: Powering Sustainable Development’.

According to the UN’s World Tourism Organisation, travel and tourism is the world’s third-largest industry, and will create around 21m additional direct jobs over the next decade.