The Southern African Development Community (SADC) Ministers responsible for Tourism convened a virtual meeting to review the progress on the SADC Tourism UNIVISA pilot project, and to deliberate on the winding up of the Regional Tourism Organisation of Southern Africa (RETOSA). The meeting was held on the 10th February 2026.
The Ministerial Meeting, chaired by the Republic of South Africa, the current Chairperson of SADC, was attended by SADC Ministers or their representatives from Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. The meeting was also attended by Ms. Angele Makombo N’tumba, SADC Deputy Executive Secretary for Regional Integration.
Honourable Patricia De Lille, Minister of Tourism of the Republic of South Africa and Chairperson of Committee of SADC Ministers Responsible for Tourism delivered the official opening remarks. She underscored the SADC Tourism UNIVISA \'s strategic role in enhancing regional tourism and the need to conclude the Regional Tourism Organization of Southern Africa (RETOSA) winding-up process.
Ms. Angele Makombo N’tumba, SADC Deputy Executive Secretary for Regional Integration in her welcome remarks, highlighted the importance of endorsing the Draft Agreement establishing the SADC Tourism UNIVISA and finalizing the winding up process of RETOSA.
She underlined that the SADC Tourism UNIVISA project constitutes a priority initiative and represents a transformative opportunity for our region through the simplification of travel procedures and the reduction of barriers to entry. The SADC Deputy Executive Secretary for Regional Integration opined that the SADC Tourism UNIVISA has the potential to enhance destination competitiveness, stimulate multi-country travel, increase visitor length of stay, and unlock greater economic benefits for our Member States.
The meeting reaffirmed Member States’ commitment to tourism as a key driver of inclusive economic growth, employment creation, and regional integration, along with advancing the objectives of the SADC Treaty 1992, SADC Protocol on the Development of Tourism (1998), as revised in 2009 and 2022, and the implementation of the strategic goals of the SADC Tourism Programme 2020–2030
