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African Tourism Bounces Back
African Tourism Bounces Back With Steady Growth Trend
By Shumirai Chiombe
The Travel & Tourism sector in Africa has been experiencing exponential growth which is poised to continue in the coming years. In 2022, it accounted for nearly 6% of the continent’s economy and supported 22 million jobs. This is according to a report released by the World Tourism and Travel Council (WTTC) in November 2023.
Titled ‘Unlocking Opportunities for Travel Tourism Growth in Africa’, and written in partnership with VFS.Global, the report explores the sector’s role in promoting economic, environmental, and social progress across the continent. It revealed that the African Travel & Tourism sector could further add US$168 billion to the continent’s economy and create over 18 million new jobs.
The report also highlights the opportunities for the sector to adopt sustainable practices, such as reducing its carbon footprint through low-carbon energy adoption and enhancing water efficiency. These practices will not only help to protect the environment but also make the sector more attractive to environmentally conscious travellers..
Speaking at the global tourism body’s Global Summit held in Kigali, Rwanda in November 2023, Julia Simpson, WTTC President & CEO said that with the right policies, Africa is positioned to see massive growth in the next decade. “Africa needs simplified visa processes, better air connectivity within the continent, and marketing campaigns to highlight the wealth of destinations in this breathtaking continent.”
Zubin Karkaria, Founder & CEO of VFS Global indicated that the report not only highlights the diverse prospects for economic growth, sustainable tourism, and cross-cultural collaboration, but also provides valuable insights for governments to formulate policies and offers businesses a well-defined roadmap to expand in this thriving market.
The report concludes: ‘African tourism ‘is an immense opportunity. Its population is young and rapidly expanding. With this growth comes a new middle class – more families who now have the freedom to travel, increasing the investment opportunity further still. And the result is clear: since 2000, capital flowing into Africa’s Travel & Tourism sector has more than tripled. City skylines brim with new hotels, restaurants, and offices. The arteries of travel – new roads, runways, and airports – are becoming the catalysts for enterprise, private investment, and growing supply chains.’
Tourism in Africa At A Glance:
Africa’s resurgence as a tourist destination showed a 96% recovery of pre-pandemic levels, surpassing international tourism with 88%.
Africa received 5% more arrivals in the first quarter of 2024 than in Q1 2019, and 14% more than in Q1 2023.
North Africa is performing particularly strongly - with arrivals recorded at 8% in January - July 2023 more than in 2019; and with 23% more in Q1 2024 than before the pandemic.
Tanzania (+53%), Morocco (+32%) and Algeria (+17%) all exceeded their 2019 numbers in the first three months of 2024.
Source: UN Tourism - World Tourism Barometer, May 2024
Improving Policies To Enhance African Travel and Tourism
Three policy areas have been identified as key to unlocking the projected growth of tourism on the continent.
1. Improving air infrastructure:
Africa needs better air connectivity within the continent to make it easier for travellers to reach its diverse destinations.
It is not uncommon for passengers to travel to airports in Europe or the Gulf States such as Dubai or Doha, to make in-transit flight connections while travelling between destinations on the continent. However, some positive strides have been made in recent years as more international airlines start expanding into the continent, and new road networks are being improved to increase accessibility to the continent’s remote natural tourist spots.
2. Visa facilitation:
Simplifying visa processes will encourage more travellers to visit Africa by reducing the time, bureaucratic red-tape, delays and hassle involved in obtaining a visa.
More African governments have relaxed their visa formalities in order to attract more tourists. For example, the East Africa Tourist Visa was initiated to allow travel between Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda with the same multiple entry visa, to boost regional travel and encourage tourists to explore the diversity of East Africa.
3. Tourism marketing:
Africa needs to invest in marketing campaigns to promote its wealth of destinations and attract more visitors from around the world.
UN Tourism, the United Nations specialised agency for tourism, leads various initiatives and campaigns that spotlight opportunities in tourism for driving special development and economic change. The agency recently hosted its second edition of the Regional Conference onBrand Africa in Livingstone, Zambia which brought together sector leaders, civil society and businesses to discuss the importance of collaboration and investment among member states to boost tourism with a united voice.
‘Advocating Brand Africa’ promotes marketing the continent in a strategic way to make it attractive for tourists seeking unique and authentic experiences that are available in abundance on the continent.
Africa is endowed with immense and diversified heritage as well as storytelling richness. One way to experience this cultural immersion is through the food that reflects the history and culture of the people. As part of its Brand Africa strategy, UN Tourism published ‘In a Tour of African Gastronomy 2021’ - a book that promotes and celebrates the gastronomy that binds the cultures and people of Africa, and showcasing state-of-the-art recipes prepared by well-known chefs around the continent.
The full report of the WTTC’s report can be downloaded here: https://researchhub.wttc.org/product/unlocking-opportunities-for-travel-tourism-growth-in-africa-2023
