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A new report finds flourishing tourism in Africa is putting millions of
people to work and adding billions of dollars to national economies. The UN
Conference on Trade and Development’s annual Economic Development in Africa
Report projects continued robust growth in tourism in the coming years.
Growth figures in Africa’s tourism sector are impressive. The World
Travel and Tourism Council projects the total contribution of tourism to Africa’s
Gross Domestic Product will amount to $296 billion by 2026.
This is a phenomenal increase considering that tourism’s direct
contribution to Africa’s GDP was $30 billion between 1995 and 1998. The Tourism
Council also expects the sector to generate nearly 29 million jobs in 2026 up
from 21 million in 2016.
UNCTAD secretary-general, Mukhisa Kituyi says intra-African tourism,
which now exceeds visitors from Europe, the United States and Asia is behind
the fast growth in the industry.
“Also, importantly documented in this report is the fact that
intra-African tourism is 12 months a year," he said. "It does not
wait for the north in winter and that way it underpins more continuing
livelihoods than the seasonal tourism associated with the traditional South
markets.”
But, Kituyi says African governments must liberalize air transport to
realize the potential of intraregional tourism for the continent’s economic
growth. Currently, he says four countries, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia and
Kenya, account for more than 90 percent of air traffic.
“Many countries that do not have a viable national airline, do not see
the reason of giving concession for low-cost landing when there is no such
benefit for their own airlines," he said. "And, what it means is that
you start finding abnormally high landing costs for airlines from other African
countries.”
Kituyi says this short-sighted policy results in abnormally high costs
for intra-African flying. This, he says, holds back greater potential revenue through
the greater movement of persons across the continent.