South Africa’s food culture could create income opportunities for small businesses by giving tourists more reasons to explore local communities, markets and restaurants.
However, turning culinary heritage into a reliable source of revenue will depend on businesses’ ability to package experiences, reach visitors and convert interest into sales.
Small operators can face barriers such as limited marketing budgets, food-safety requirements, transport costs and difficulty accessing booking platforms or established tourism networks.
They may also need assistance with pricing, packaging experiences and meeting tour operators’ requirements. Without these connections, promising culinary offerings may struggle to attract enough paying visitors to remain commercially viable.
Partnerships between food businesses, tourism operators and local producers could help spread visitor spending across communities. However, the benefits will depend on whether smaller enterprises can participate in tourism supply chains and secure consistent demand.
The Gastronomy Africa Conference & Expo, held at Breakers Resort in uMhlanga, KwaZulu-Natal, on 19 and 20 October, brought together chefs, restaurateurs, food producers and tourism professionals to discuss gastronomy and its potential to support economic development.
The opportunity extends beyond selling meals For small businesses. Food vendors, caterers, local producers and tour operators could develop experiences introducing visitors to traditional dishes, cooking methods, regional specialities and local markets.
Turning food into a tourism product
According to Sithembile Ndaba, chief marketing officer at South African Tourism, food is already an important part of the visitor experience, but the country needs to do more to turn it into a marketable tourism product.
“The data tells us that food is already performing as a meaningful part of the South African visitor experience. Our opportunity now is to be much more deliberate about turning that strength into a tourism proposition that can be packaged, marketed and sold,” Ndaba said.
The research cited by South African Tourism analysed more than 1.3 million reviews from international travellers between September 2025 and September 2026. South Africa’s food and beverage sector recorded a visitor sentiment score of 90.7 out of 100.
While the findings indicate positive visitor perceptions, they do not establish how much tourists spend on culinary experiences or how much income reaches small businesses.
Potential offerings include food tastings, traditional cooking demonstrations and guided tours connecting visitors with markets, restaurants and local producers. These experiences could also create opportunities for farmers and other suppliers if businesses source products and services locally.
The Department of Tourism’s National Gastronomy Tourism Framework provides a policy foundation for developing food-related tourism experiences, with an emphasis on local culinary products and more inclusive tourism.
The Gastronomy Africa organisers identified business connections, industry knowledge and gastronomy tourism among the conference’s key themes. Its published event information highlighted the gathering’s intention to connect industry professionals and encourage opportunities for growth.
