South Africa is promoting its tourism offerings in Mexico during the opening week of the FIFA World Cup 2026, Ministry of Tourism said Sunday.

South African Minister of Tourism Patricia de Lille met with Mexico's Vice Secretary of Tourism Nathalie Desplas Puel and Mexico City Secretary of Tourism Alejandra Frausto to showcase South Africa as a travel destination, the department said in a statement.

De Lille also met with more than 40 leading Mexican tour operators to promote South Africa's tourism offerings and highlight the benefits of the country's Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) system.

The department said Mexico, with a population of more than 130 million and a rapidly growing middle- and upper-income traveler segment, has been identified as one of South Africa's priority growth markets.

South Africa has already seen encouraging growth from the Mexican market, with arrivals from the country increasing at an average rate of 13 percent over the past three years, according to the department.

xinhua