Trevor Noah launches new campaign to boost South Africa's international tourism

South African comedian Trevor Noah is fronting a fresh global tourism campaign backed by the Tourism Business Council of South Africa (TBCSA) and Tourism Marketing South Africa (TOMSA). The campaign, unveiled at the Radisson RED Rosebank in Johannesburg, highlights the country's diverse attractions and aims to draw more than 15 million international visitors annually by 2030. Funding comes from a private‑sector tourism levy collected by hotels and other establishments, with collaboration from SA Tourism, the National Department of Tourism, SATSA and Business for South Africa.

The new ad features Noah alongside other prominent South African figures such as Black Coffee, Charlize Theron and a reference to Elon (minus the Musk), and follows a prior commercial that placed third at the 2024 World Tourism Film Awards and amassed over 1.3 million YouTube views. TBCSA CEO Tshifhiwa Tshivhengwa says the campaign is meant to boost foreign arrivals, create jobs and generate wider economic ripple effects.

In a separate stand‑up routine, Noah expressed his wish that any future children grow up in South Africa, praising the nation's cultural diversity, multilingual environment and the resilience such an upbringing fosters. He reflected on his own mixed‑heritage upbringing during apartheid and used the anecdote to champion South Africa’s rich social fabric.