'Come Find Your Joy' muted: SA Tourism quietly retreats

SA Tourism has quietly played down the "Come Find Your Joy" part of its flagship slogan in African markets.

It says this is to avoid offending.

Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille revealed this in a written parliamentary reply. The question was about attacks on South African tourists in neighbouring countries.

But the reply does not mention any attack on South African tourists.

ANC MP and tourism portfolio committee chairperson Ronalda Nalumango asked: "Following recent attacks on South African tourists in neighbouring countries linked to tensions around illegal immigration, what proactive communication and destination-marketing measures has SA Tourism implemented to counter negative perceptions, protect the image of the Republic abroad and strengthen tourism relations with neighbouring countries and engagements have been put in place to ensure that illegal immigration does not adversely affect tourism transformation, particularly the growth of local tourism economies and opportunities for local enterprises?"

De Lille replied: "South African Tourism has continued to promote the brand as a welcoming destination with messages focused on affirming the 'South Africa Awaits, Come Find Your Joy' tagline by leading with 'South Africa Awaits' and subdued 'Come Find Your Joy'. This ensures we stay true to the campaign without offending."

The reply does not say who could be offended, or when the change was made.

SA Tourism launched the "South Africa Awaits – Come Find Your Joy" campaign in March 2025.

This year South Africa was hit by a wave of anti-illegal immigration protests and attacks on foreign nationals. Mozambique said five of its citizens were killed. Ghana, Nigeria, Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe repatriated thousands of their nationals.

In July, a video was widely shared online that appeared to show South African tourists being chased out of a restaurant in Matola, Mozambique.

De Lille's reply leans on a sentiment survey to argue that South Africa's image is holding up.

She said: "Recent analysis shows that sentiment among travellers from African markets remains strong and stable. Overall sentiment towards South Africa was indicated by a score of 80.2 for January to July 2026, a minimal 0.1-point decline from the same period in 2025. This suggests positive perceptions have largely been maintained year over year. The highest sentiment scores were in Hospitality (85.4), Location (81.6), Emotional Engagement (81.6), and Staff (77.3). Safety improved by 2.99 points and Cleanliness by 2.26 points. These results highlight strengths and opportunities to further enhance the visitor experience. Furthermore, there have been no negative comments on the media partners' social media engagements."

Stats SA figures for July showed arrivals from the rest of Africa up 14.3%.

On the second part of the question, about protecting tourism transformation from the fallout over illegal immigration, De Lille pointed to trade shows.

She said: "Engagements have been put in place to ensure that illegal immigration does not adversely affect tourism transformation, particularly with South African Tourism's participation in various trade shows, giving SMMEs access to international buyers. African markets are central to South African Tourism's tourism strategy, with travellers from Africa consistently representing over 70% of international arrivals, making the continent the largest source of visitors. These markets also contribute more than 40% of total tourist spend, highlighting their significance in both visitor numbers and economic impact."

As an example, she cited the Magical Kenya Travel Expo in Nairobi in October. SA Tourism supported 20 South African tourism businesses there, including 14 small businesses.

The reply mentions no engagement with Home Affairs, the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) or any neighbouring government on the attacks.

De Lille said only: "As the Chairperson of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Tourism Ministers, we continue to engage and plan joint marketing under bilateral agreements."

The reply lists SA Tourism's priority and neighbouring markets. Tanzania appears twice.

Africa Daily has sent questions to De Lille's office. Their response will be added once received.