South Africa Looks to Turn Food Into a Tourism Drawcard

A plate can be a destination’s most persuasive invitation: fragrant curry, a market stall’s bustle, or a glass poured among the vines. South Africa wants to make those encounters easier for visitors to find, book and buy—and for local businesses to benefit.

A high score is an invitation, not a finished itinerary

The signal South African Tourism is working from is striking: a 90.7 out of 100 visitor-sentiment score for the country’s food-and-beverage sector. The score comes from Data Appeal’s analysis of more than 1.3 million international-traveller reviews posted between September 2025 and September 2026, according to a report published on 19 October 2026. Sithembile Ndaba, South African Tourism’s chief marketing officer, said the opportunity is to turn that existing strength into a tourism offer that can be “packaged, marketed and sold.” But sentiment is not the same as a booking forecast. The report does not specify how the score is calculated, which experiences generated it, or how many reviewers came specifically to South Africa for food. It is best read as evidence that visitors are responding positively to food and drink—not as proof that a particular tour will sell. The practical next step is to make appealing experiences discoverable, bookable and reliable enough for operators to put on an itinerary.

From something to eat to somewhere to go

The proposed range is deliberately broad: traditional cuisine, township food experiences, local markets, wine routes and contemporary African dining. That breadth matters in a country where a visitor’s food itinerary can lead from a city restaurant to a neighborhood kitchen, or from a market counter to a vineyard. South African Tourism’s task, as described in the 19 October report, is to help connect those experiences with tour operators, destination-management companies, accommodation providers and itinerary planners. The distinction is commercial as much as culinary. A memorable meal may delight a traveler already in town; a tourism product needs a clear description, a price, availability, a way to reserve, and a dependable host. For a small food business, inclusion in an itinerary can potentially bring visitors and spending. Yet the available reporting does not identify specific newly launched tours or say how many operators have already signed on. The push is an ambition and a convening effort, not evidence that a national booking network is already in place.