“They never had a pretty girl from Joburg, see me now and that’s what they prefer,” South African music sensation Tyla sings on her new track, Jump. The music video for the song, featuring scenes from Johannesburg’s townships, streets and nightclubs has been viewed more than seven million times on YouTube since it was launched about two weeks ago.

Tyla, whose Grammy win and appearance at the Met Gala earlier this year have cemented her international profile, is just one of a number of South African artists earning global acclaim for their music. Amapiano, a musical genre born in Pretoria’s Soshanguve has arguably become South Africa’s biggest cultural export, being played from the USA to Tokyo. South African Tourism says it is exploring ways to capitalise on its popularity.

According to Spotify data released earlier this year, Amapiano songs were added to 14 million user-generated playlists on its platform. And data released during an Amapiano tour held in partnership with SA Tourism last year, showed that about 40% of the genre’s streams came from outside of South Africa.

Data released following Tyla’s Grammy award win, shows that her breakout hit Water, has been streamed over 300 million times on Spotify, with the USA, the Philippines, the UK, Brazil and Australia making up the top five countries streaming the song in the past year.

‘Amapiano is a movement’

“While there is no specific South African Tourism-led data on the impact of the Amapiano genre on our tourism industry as yet, we know that Amapiano is not just music; it’s a cultural movement. It encompasses fashion, dance, and a lifestyle that is deeply rooted in South African life. This multifaceted appeal makes the genre an excellent export in promoting South Africa,” said Thembi Sehloho, Chief Marketing Officer at South African Tourism.

“Our country's diverse music contributes to telling authentic stories about our country and our people. Through their videos featuring some of our varied landscapes, artists are able to afford travellers from across the globe a visual tour of the country showcasing the diverse beauty and offerings.”

Sehloho said SAT was “exploring some strategic partnerships” that harnessed the power of Amapiano to promote the country as a destination.

“By leveraging music, we showcase our destination and contribute to increasing our arrival numbers and thereby drive economic growth.”

Speaking during a panel discussion on the power of film and music in promoting the country as a tourism destination during last month’s Africa’s Travel Indaba, award winning Executive Creative Director Neo Ntatleng said: “There hasn't been an intentional strategy on how we're going to use our cultural and cinematic goods in a way that is going to have a return on Investment (ROI) for the tourism sector. This provides South Africa with an opportunity to grow the sector with direction and purpose.”

The opportunity is illustrated by the AfroNation event, an annual music festival held in Portugal which attracted 40 000 people from around the world in 2023. Set to take place again later this month, this year’s line-up features Tyla on the main stage, while the Piano People stage is jam-packed with South African Amapiano talent including Major League DJz, Uncle Waffles and Musa Keys.