A-Mention: Africa cannot develop a tourism economy without Africans
An article from Penkelemesi and a note from me (you'll find it if you read the whole letter).
Today’s A-Mention is brought to you by:
Christopher Olaoluwa Ogunmodede, the author of Penkelemesi, a Substack newsletter about African politics, international affairs, security, and culture. He is a committed Pan-Africanist who is on a mission to visit every single African country.
Tourism in Africa is on an upward trajectory, with a sharp increase in visitor numbers since 2021 that some estimates suggest makes it the fastest-growing tourism market in the world. According to UN Tourism, travel and tourism made up 8.5% of Africa’s gross domestic product in 2023 and is projected to create 18 million new jobs by 2028. The UN agency also claimed that tourism comprised nearly half of the exports from Cabo Verde and The Gambia in 2023.
However, Africa tends to be overlooked by travelers despite its breathtaking beauty and fascinating blend of ancient and modern history. According to UN Tourism’s latest World Tourism Barometer, Africa received only 74 million of the estimated 1.4 billion arrivals by international tourists in 2024—approximately 5 percent.
Africa earned a mere $42.6 billion of the $1.6 trillion generated last year from international tourism receipts. When measured by indices such as arrivals, export revenues, and spending per arrival, Africa’s share of the global tourism pie remains small in relative as well as absolute terms.
African governments and continental institutions like the African Development Bank (AfDB) and African Union (AU) have committed to prioritizing tourism and boosting the share of the continent’s economy that comes from travel and hospitality.
They have implemented policy measures such as visa liberalization, tourism promotion schemes, and investments in infrastructure like roads and airports, all of which have played a role in the expansion of tourism in Africa from a base of 26 million international tourists in 2000 to 74 million last year.
While the growth of tourism in Africa is undeniable, there remains a lot of work to be done if the continent is to broaden its share of the approximately $16.5 trillion that the World Travel and Tourism Council estimates that the industry will contribute to the global economy by 2035.
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The effort to fully unlock Africa’s tourism potential must begin with a shift in the way Africans think about their continent, its people, and places. African governments should do away with the antiquated beliefs and practices around which they built their existing tourism models, and update them with endogenous, self-referential frameworks that are cognizant of shifts in the travel conversation on the continent and beyond it.
They must expand infrastructure, simplify travel policies especially for African visitors, and invest in marketing campaigns that tell better stories about the landscapes, cultural heritage, and vibrancy of African societies.
Travel must be inclusive and sustainable, and not lock out communities from the benefits of tourism. Not all types of tourism are good, and this should not be a controversial point to make. Governments must protect heritage sites to prevent displacement and commodification, and ensure that tourism operators invest in local artisans, storytellers, guides, and other community members.
If tourism is to become a lever for socioeconomic transformation on the continent, African people and their governments must work together to create a comprehensive travel ecosystem that ensures a sustainable balance between tourism’s potential benefits and its costs.
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Nobuhle
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