The 2025 G20 Summits are expected to attract thousands of visitors to South Africa, particularly the G20 Leaders’ Summit, which is set to bolster Gauteng’s tourism industry and drive infrastructure development.
“Large-scale events like the G20 have a considerable impact on the tourism sector and economy. These gatherings bring global attention to our country, open critical trade and economic platforms that drive long-term growth, and create opportunities for local businesses, from hotels to transport services, while showcasing our capacity to host world-class gatherings,” said Glenton De Kock, CEO of SAACI.
Marcel von Aulock, CEO of Southern Sun, told moneyweb.co.za during the group’s half-year results presentation, that the G20 Summit was likely to have a positive impact on Johannesburg in particular.
“I am glad it’s going to be hosted in Joburg. Cape Town is already very busy on the conferencing and leisure tourism front during this time of year, and hosting the G20 in the Mother City would have actually displaced a lot of its normal business,” Von Aulock told Moneyweb.
This year’s G20 Leaders’ Summit in Rio de Janeiro was attended by 19 member countries, plus the African Union and the European Union. India hosted the G20 in 2023 and welcomed over 100 000 participants from 135 countries at 200 meetings and engagements throughout the year.
South Africa officially took over the presidency of the G20 on December 1.
In October, Johannesburg was named the official host city of the G20 Leaders’ Summit in November next year, while the Western Cape was announced as the host of the G20 Finance Track.
“Joburg needs to get cleaned up and get its act together ahead of the event,” Von Aulock told Moneyweb.
“We can use this event to drive positive change. It goes beyond Sandton; we need to clean up the city. We saw some of this during Joburg’s hosting of the Brics Summit last year. Joburg hosting the G20 Summit next year should force a lot of maintenance and investment to get the city cleaned up.”
While the main event was expected to be hosted in Sandton next year, dozens of supporting events across the country were expected to create an overall boom for the local tourism and hospitality industry, said Von Aulock.
