Travel And Tourism Are Vital To Africa’s Economic Growth, But Are They Properly Marketed?

When it comes to boosting Africa’s economic growth, tourism is among the lowest of low-hanging fruit. The continent is home to some of the most spectacular landscapes on the planet, offers unparalleled wildlife experiences, and has an incredibly diverse array of cultures and heritages. You could spend a lifetime exploring it and still encounter new things every day.

Building up a tourism industry also means bringing in foreign currency, helping to stabilize economies, and reducing the reliance on other export sectors. That’s to say nothing of the many direct and indirect jobs it creates, which are so desperately needed in countries across the continent.

Of course, many African countries have recognized the potential of tourism and have mature tourism industries which contribute significantly to their economies. According to Statista, tourism added approximately US$182.6 billion to Africa’s overall gross domestic product (GDP). But the sector could be much bigger too. According to a report by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), in collaboration with VFS Global, the African Travel & Tourism sector could bring in an additional US$168 billion to the continent’s economy and create over 18 million new jobs over the next decade. Effective marketing and communication will be critical to its ability to do so.

Growing competitiveness in global tourism 

On the face of it, that might sound strange. Those of us who know the continent and who have experienced even a fraction of what it has to offer are already sold on it. A part of us might even believe that the continent should sell itself.

But for many of the world’s biggest travel markets, traveling to Africa requires at least one long-haul flight, if not more. That means people have to spend significant amounts of time and money to get there. While at the end of things, a direct flight from New York to Cape Town means spending close to 15 hours in the air, for instance.

That means even countries with well-established tourism sectors must work hard to keep people coming back. Those with emerging tourist industries, meanwhile, must work even harder to entice visitors in the first place. Crucially, African countries are having to put this work in at a time when the global tourism space is more competitive than ever.

Countries that weren’t previously thought of as tourism hotspots and which are much closer to key markets have become seriously competitive players in recent years. Montenegro, fo