What's Hot?
Actress Destiny Etiko Slammed For Exposing ‘Chest’ In...
Why Animals Are In The Nativity Scene, But...
Halle Berry Is A Literal Work Of Art...
10 Best Classic Family Movies To Watch This...
My Interaction With Men Has Changed After Undergoing...
The BBL Craze: A Quest For Beauty, Pressure...
4 Hobbies To Make A Vacation More Meaningful
Nothing About Bullying Is Cool, Laura Ikeji Tells...
Actor Peter Ijagbemi Opens Up On Crashed Marriage
Gujarat’s Garba Gets Unesco’s Intangible Cultural Heritage Tag
The Culture Newspaper
  • Home
  • Arts & Exhibitions
  • Culture & Festivals
    • Culture Africana
    • Culture People
  • Fashion & Lifestyle
    • Music, Movies & More
  • News
    • Travel News
  • Opinion
    • Reviews (The Critics)
  • TCN Literati
  • Tourism & Hospitality
Tourism & Hospitality

Africa’s tourism industry is now the second fastest growing in the world

by The Culture Newspaper December 9, 2019
by The Culture Newspaper December 9, 2019

Some 67 million tourists visited Africa in 2018, representing a rise of 7% from a year earlier, making Africa the second-fastest growing region when it comes to tourism, after Asia Pacific.

African countries are now reaping the benefits from positive policy changes coupled with increased investments in the sector, that have made it a more attractive destination for tourists.

In Ethiopia, for example, relaxing visa restrictions while improving flight connectivity has seen Addis transformed into a regional transport  hub, even overtaking Dubai as the world’s gateway to Africa. This has resulted in Ethiopia becoming Africa’s fastest growing travel country, growing by 48.6% in 2018, according to  Jumia Africa Hospitality report,

Chart from TheAtlas.com

Business visitors numbers in particular have received a boost from business-enabling reforms from some governments that have seen the potential in diversifying the sector. Kenya, Rwanda and South Africa have undertaken initiatives to position themselves as locations for conferences and exhibitions.

Top African countries for Travel & Tourism (WEF Competitiveness Index 2019)
CountryScoreScore
Mauritius4.04.0
South Africa4.04.0
Seychelles3.93.9
Morocco3.93.9
Namibia3.73.7
Kenya3.63.6
Tunisia3.63.6
Cape Verde3.63.6
Botswana3.53.5
Tanzania3.43.4

Such reforms have sparked investments in hotels, and business expenditures now account for 29% of tourism spending while leisure spending accounts for 71% showing the growth potential of tapping into “bleisure” travelers. This is an emerging group in the tourism market – those primarily traveling for business, but staying on for leisure.

Least restrictive destinations for visitors in Africa 2018 – UNWTO
CountryVisa openness score
Mauritius84.6
Benin74.9
Rwanda71.8
Guinea-Bissau71.5
Togo71.4
Cape Verde71.3
Uganda71.1
Mozambique70.8
Seychelles70.6
Mauritania70.4

In absolute figures, the continent’s share of the global tourism pie remains small. While accounting for 8.5% of GDP and employing 24.3 million people on the continent, only 5% of international tourist arrivals were to African countries. Additionally, in 2018, only 1% of the  $1.7 trillion earnings in the sector were on the continent.

There is room for optimism as there are already quite a few changes and initiatives underway that could see a continued growth in 2020 figures. Such changes include “Year of Return” style campaigns to attract black diaspora from the Americas, the easing of visa restrictions by some countries particularly for Chinese visitors and other Africans, the increased flight connections regionally and globally and the meteoric growth of Airbnb listings on the continent etc.

Jumia is optimistic about the impact of the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) which came into effect at the end of May. “It will definitely increase intra-regional business, and thus yield huge economic benefits to the continent,” says Estelle Verdier head of Jumia Travel.

Source: qz.com

0
FacebookTwitterPinterestLinkedinWhatsappEmail
The Culture Newspaper

previous post
ORÒÓWỌLÉ JÀÁNÍÌNI: Tribute to Fagunwa, the master storyteller
next post
South Africa’s Zozibini Tunzi Crowned Miss Universe

You may also like

Season Of Sweetness: Brazil, Egypt, Turkey, South Africa...

November 24, 2023

Saudi Arabia’s NEOM: First look at three hotels...

November 6, 2023

2 300 tourism safety monitors to be trained

October 27, 2023

La Campagne Tropicana Founder, Akinboboye, Unveils Weekly Product...

October 21, 2023

Excitement As La Campagne Tropicana Forest, Hills And...

October 16, 2023

Saudi Arabia leads in commitment to sustainable tourism

October 5, 2023

World Tourism Day 2023 to Emphasize Investments for...

September 25, 2023

The world’s biggest national park is larger than...

September 20, 2023

Egypt denies imposing $1,000 fee on tourists

September 14, 2023

December In Ghana: GTA Promises Nigerian Travellers Good...

September 12, 2023

Leave a Comment Cancel Reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Recent Posts

  • Actress Destiny Etiko Slammed For Exposing ‘Chest’ In New Promotional Video
  • Why Animals Are In The Nativity Scene, But Aren’t Mentioned In The Bible
  • Halle Berry Is A Literal Work Of Art In Haute Couture Elie Saab
  • 10 Best Classic Family Movies To Watch This Festive Period
  • My Interaction With Men Has Changed After Undergoing BBL, Says Khloe

Sponsored

Recent Posts

  • Actress Destiny Etiko Slammed For Exposing ‘Chest’ In New Promotional Video

    December 10, 2023
  • Why Animals Are In The Nativity Scene, But Aren’t Mentioned In The Bible

    December 10, 2023
  • Halle Berry Is A Literal Work Of Art In Haute Couture Elie Saab

    December 10, 2023

Categories

  • Arts & Exhibitions
  • Culture & Festivals
  • Culture Africana
  • Culture People
  • Fashion & Lifestyle
  • Food
  • Music, Movies & More
  • News
  • Opinion
  • Photo News
  • Reviews (The Critics)
  • TCN Interview
  • TCN Literati
  • Tourism & Hospitality
  • Travel News
  • Travel Trends
  • Travelogue
  • What's Hot?
  • World Culture

Connect with us

Connect with us
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • About Us
  • Advertise With Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact Us

@2019 - The Culture Newspaper. All Right Reserved. Designed and Developed by Zero-One

The Culture Newspaper
  • Home
  • Arts & Exhibitions
  • Culture & Festivals
    • Culture Africana
    • Culture People
  • Fashion & Lifestyle
    • Music, Movies & More
  • News
    • Travel News
  • Opinion
    • Reviews (The Critics)
  • TCN Literati
  • Tourism & Hospitality