WHAT IS IT GOING TO TAKE?

Meetings was at Africa’s Travel and Tourism Summit to find out what is being done to move the sector forward during this time.

With the global roll-out of vaccines, industries such as tourism and MICE, which have felt the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, are beginning to see a light at the end of the tunnel that could pave the way forward for their recovery.

While vaccines feature as a solution for opening up certain industries of our economy, for tourism, it goes beyond this and discussions are being centred around how to make the sector truly sustainable.

In September, South African Tourism and the National Department of Tourism hosted Africa’s Travel and Tourism Summit (ATTS) 2021. The three-day event was hosted as a hybrid experience, with in-person attendance in Durban and Sandton in South Africa, and in Lagos, Nigeria. TOURISM’S RECOVERY WILL COME FROM THE INSIDE OUT

There was a significant emphasis on domestic and regional travel as a key driver of the recovery of the tourism industry. This was summarised by Professor Patrick Loch Otieno Lumumba, a renowned professor of law and an anti-corruption pan-Africanist, who highlighted how travel within Africa by Africans ensures that money does not leave the continent The opposite is true for travellers from regions such as Europe or America, with the majority of their spend generated wherever they are based.

“Domestic tourism has to be the anchor of the tourism industry,” noted Sthembiso Dlamini, acting CEO of South African Tourism, in her address during the opening plenary session of ATTS 2021. Before the Covid-19 pandemic, in 2019 in South Africa, as an example, 70% of the country’s international arrivals were from the rest of Africa. This highlights how valuable our regional market is but more needs to be done to ensure we cater for travel experiences for our African counterparts.

Echoing this sentiment was Netumbo Nashandi, chairperson of the Federation of Namibian Tourism Associations: “We have to place a special, intentional emphasis on domestic travel,” she stressed.

This means that there is an opportunity for hospitality providers and tour operators to design products with new pricing models that are attractive to this particular market segment.

POLICY STANDARDISATION A CHALLENGE

A common theme coming out of many of the sessions during ATTS 2021 is that tourism requires the global standardisation of policies and practices to fully open and operate at the levels it once did. This includes vaccine passports and uniform travel requirements, as well as one set of guidelines that the entire industry can follow and implement accordingly.

TOURISM: THEN AND NOW

According to quoted World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) statistics, pre-Covid-19: • Africa’s tourism industry reported that tourism generates

US$200 billion (approximately

R3 trillion) • Tourism accounted for 6.9% of

Africa’s GDP • The sector supported as many as 24.7 million jobs. Following the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic: • Tourism has dipped to $83 billion (or R1.2 trillion) • 7.2 million jobs were lost • This downturn was experienced by tourism across the globe.

Linda Balme, senior commercial manager for Travelstart, notes how the agency has had to be on the ball when it comes to rolling out its next campaign.

“Dream big but have conversations now that will mean – that if something happens tomorrow – you are ready,” she says, adding that time is of the essence.

“You have to be so agile… Be informative, be effective and communicate rapidly.”

SUSTAINABILITY AN INDUSTRY IMPERATIVE

Growing an impactful travel and tourism sector will be impossible if the industry is not inclusive and encompassing. This is why a day dedicated to SMMEs was held in the lead-up to the main proceedings of the Summit.

“The Summit is what the African travel trade needs right now and SMME Day is a perfect way to reboot the tourism economy – as small and medium-sized businesses are the backbone of tourism. Many of the business people at SMME Day will be seasoned entrepreneurs. They do not want to know how they should run their business. Instead, they are here to find ways of adapting their businesses to a new kind of tourism market,” said South African Tourism’s Sthembiso Dlamini ahead of the Summit’s SMME Day.

There were also a number of discussions centred around the youth being key in growing the tourism sector, as they are both the future marketers and decision-makers of the industry.

SUSTAINABILITY VILLAGE A HIGHLIGHT DURING AFRICA’S TRAVEL AND TOURISM SUMMIT

A highlight during Africa’s Travel and Tourism Summit was the Sustainability Village – a dynamic corporate gifting concept that has grown in popularity. In its bid towards inclusivity, South African Tourism is committed to creating market access for SMMEs. To this end, the Sustainability Village allowed delegates to purchase their own gifts using vouchers given to them by South African Tourism, thus generating business for the local artisans and crafters who were part of the experience. The items sold at the Sustainability Village are inspired by local culture and traditions and are produced in South Africa. In line with the hybrid format of the event, both in-person as well as online attendees were able to access the Sustainability Village.

This summit enjoys the participation of the African community delegates who aim to understand how tourism has shifted in the African continent and identifying new opportunities. It is, therefore, a catalyst for engagement on the current state of tourism on the African continent, the sharing of ideas on collective recovery initiatives and solutions, and exploring global tourism survival trends and challenges facing the global tourism industry.”

Lindiwe Sisulu, Minister of Tourism