Thulani Nzima
Africa Day gives us reason to reflect on and celebrate Africa’s many broad successes and achievements. It also gives us cause to renew our commitment to partnerships and collaborations across the continent to grow tourist arrivals to Africa.
Tourism in Africa is only just starting to live up to its potential. About 15% of the global population calls Africa home. Yet, our continent presently receives only about 5% of global tourists each year.
This is in spite of the fact that arrivals to Africa have grown substantially in recent times.
In 2014 Africa’s tourist numbers grew by an estimated 2%, to reach 56 million tourist arrivals. Tourism contributes about US$36-billion to the sub-Saharan economy each year.
South African Tourism hosts Meetings Africa for the business event sector, and Tourism INDABA for the leisure side every year. Through these platforms we invite the continent to showcase, market and sell their offerings to tourism buyers and media from around the world.
We are truly delighted that so many destinations continue to accept our invitation to be a part of Tourism INDABA and Meetings Africa. At our recent Tourism INDABA earlier this month, no less than 24 African destinations were present on the tradeshow floor while Meetings Africa had almost 35 African associations participating.
South African Tourism is a proud participant in travel tradeshows that take place across our continent. This is not only a valuable tool in marketing our own destination to the continental travel trade, it also gives us a valuable platform to engage with our destination marketing counterparts on the continent so that we can share ideas, discuss partnerships, collaborate and work together to advance Africa’s tourism development and growth.
Tourism is about people. It’s about making them feel welcome, and it’s about delivering authenic experiences. To succeed in our tourism growth ambitions, we must make sure that we deliver what we promise: a warm welcoming and hospitable culture that embraces tourists, makes them feel truly at home and invites them back again.
Africa Day enables us all to share the spirit of this great continent with the world and among ourselves. It’s an opportunity for us to encourage each other and to travel within our own continent.
And it’s a chance for the greater Africa tourism industry to renew itself afresh to the spirit of collaboration that drives tourism to Africa forward and presents to the world a united front that says: We are Africa. We are one.
Thulani Nzima is chief executive officer of South African Tourism