South Africa is leveraging the FIFA 2026 World Cup to boost its promotion in Mexico. The country views the Mexican market as a priority, given its population of over 130 million and a rapidly growing segment of travelers from middle and upper-income brackets.

South African Minister of Tourism Patricia de Lille met in Mexico with Deputy Minister of Tourism Nathalia Desplas Puel and Secretary of Tourism for Mexico City Alejandra Frausto. The purpose of the meetings was to present South Africa as an attractive tourist destination and to capitalize on the increased attention that the World Cup brings to Mexico.

De Lille also met with over 40 leading Mexican travel agencies. She presented them with South Africa's tourism offerings and highlighted the benefits of the Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) system. This system is designed to speed up, simplify, and make travel to the country more accessible for tourists from countries that would otherwise require visas.

According to the South African Ministry of Tourism, interest from Mexican tourists in South Africa is already growing. The number of arrivals from Mexico has been increasing by an average of 13 percent per year over the past three years. The introduction of the ETA system is expected to further strengthen this trend.

“Easy access is one of the strongest drivers of tourism growth, and we are already seeing strong interest from key international markets,” said de Lille.

Both countries are also building on a memorandum of understanding from 2014, which is currently being reviewed. They have also agreed on a three-year action plan for tourism for the period 2026 to 2029. This plan will focus on joint destination marketing, support for sports and cultural tourism, participation in tourism fairs, sharing of experiences, and expanding air connectivity.

South Africa is also strengthening its international air links. Spanish airline Air Europa is scheduled to launch its first direct flight between Madrid and Johannesburg on June 24. Brazilian airline LATAM Airlines will add three direct flights per week between São Paulo and Cape Town in July.

"Stronger connectivity creates stronger tourism flows, deeper connections between people, and greater economic opportunities," said de Lille.

The new routes are expected to strengthen South Africa's connections with Latin America and Europe, while also creating further opportunities to attract more visitors from Mexico to the country.

gnews.cz - GH