Africa's tourism operators need local visitors | Travel - Hindustan Times
close_game
close_game

Africa's tourism operators need local visitors

May 06, 2022 06:04 PM IST

With international tourism still in a slump, African tour companies need local visitors to stimulate tourism. But many on the continent can't afford to travel.

The Zambezi River meanders through the picturesque border region between Zambia and Zimbabwe. About midway along its course, the Zambezi's waters thunder 110 meters (361 feet) into the deep at Victoria Falls — a spectacular sight that draws tourists from all around the world. (Also read: COVID digest: New Zealand reopens its doors for tourists)

With international tourism still in a slump, African tour tour companies need local visitors to stimulate tourism.(Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP/Getty Images)
With international tourism still in a slump, African tour tour companies need local visitors to stimulate tourism.(Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP/Getty Images)

But the falls, one of the world's seven natural natural wonders and the most powerful waterfall in Africa, remain largely hidden from view for those living nearby.

Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now.

Most Zimbabweans and Zambians can't afford the park entrance fees to see Victoria Falls, and many of the views of the falls along the river are in the hands of private businesses, like bars and tourist lodges.

Access remains a dream for locals

Gift Kashimbaya lives in the Zambian town of Livingston, just minutes from the falls.

"You have to go through some lodges," to see the best part of the Zambezi from Livingstone, she explains. "And sometimes you can go to the Zimbabwe border where you can pay a certain fee."

Zambian tour operator Donald Chomba says it's problematic that locals are often shut out of accessing public sites by private businesses and tour operators.

"That's the reason why our local tourism will never hit the market. I wouldn't be surprised if three-quarters of the population in Zambia have no idea what's in Victoria Falls," Chomba told DW.

"For lodges to start denying access to locals or make them pay just to enter the premises, I think that is wrong."

Foreign tourists preferred

In Zambia's capital Lusaka, businessman Brian Sakala accuses the government of being one-sided in how it promotes tourism and its preference for foreigners.

"It's very unwise for you to give incentives to foreigners and you leave your own people," Sakala said. "God has blessed us with all these things for all of us to enjoy."

Encouraging local tourism

Supporting the domestic market in African countries is now more important than ever, according to Hermione Nevill, a tourism expert with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a World Bank Group partner organization.

"In the past, too little was invested in domestic and regional tourism in Africa in favor of international tourists with higher expenses," Nevill told DW.

The COVID-19 pandemic, with its travel restrictions, demonstrated just how much African countries relied on foreign tourists.

"When the pandemic hit, many destinations realized they needed their local populations to travel, but really had no data or information about these markets," Nevill said. "This makes African destinations fundamentally less resilient than competitors with established domestic travel cultures."

Creating incentives for local visitors

Tourism has become vital for African economies over the past 20 years, according to the International Finance Corporation.

In 2019, the industry accounted for about 7% of Africa's gross domestic product and contributed $169 billion (€160 billion) to the continent's economy. That's about as much as the combined GDP of the Ivory Coast and Kenya.

In 2019, some 10 million international travelers visited Africa.

This plummeted dramatically to 2.3 million in 2021 because of the pandemic.

This year though, international tourism numbers across Africa are rising, said Hanneli Slabber, the head of marketing at South African Tourism.

But in South Africa, the focus is on the domestic market in order to sustainably revive the industry, a plan the country adopted in 2020.

"The pandemic resulted in more and more South Africans experiencing day trips, a number of them first timers, people that have never considered a trip for leisure purposes," Slabber said. "We have worked hard to make sure that people know about the different experiences, including the one's that are absolutely free."

In February 2022, 1.1 million locals traveled within the country compared to 750,000 in the previous year, Slabber says.

'Khaki safari' makes way for the 'Afrofuturist'

Growing domestic travel in Africa is quite complicated, however, emphasizes tourism expert Hermione Nevill.

In Africa, the local travel culture is very small to start with, Nevill said, and this makes the domestic tourism sector more vulnerable when, for example, the economy is weak or the cost of living rises.

South Africa was one of the first countries in the region to have a national domestic tourism strategy.

An example is the travel campaign "Sho't left", which means "around the corner" in local vernacular.

The campaign encourages locals to be tourists within South Africa.

During its annual sale week, the tourism office offers domestic travel deals and packages, where prices are slashed by up to 50%.

During other events such as South Africa's Heritage Month, locals are offered free entry to many museums and gardens.

Nevill also points to the digital tourism services provider, Zulu Nomad, as one example of innovative tourism developments on the continent.

Plus, she says, investments are increasingly being made in new hotels offering a nature tourism experience that is different to the traditional safaris where western tourists kitted out in the safari outfits of colonial times are driven through a game park.

Another emerging market for a newer travel class, according to Nevill, is that of the younger and digitally savvy "Afrofuturist" tourists, who are already used to international travel.

Concepts for local markets

The domestic tourism markets of most African nations, apart from Kenya and Nigeria, are smaller than South Africa's.

Still, during the pandemic, many countries on the continent tried to promote domestic and regional travel by offering discounted fares to attract local tourists, Nevill said.

Rwanda, for example, is consulting with the IFC on a strategy for the development of local and regional markets but already offers staggered price categories for domestic and domestic visitors.

This article was originally written in German. It was adapted by Benita van Eyssen.

Oscars 2024: From Nominees to Red Carpet Glam! Get Exclusive Coverage on HT. Click Here

Catch your daily dose of Fashion, Health, Festivals, Travel, Relationship, Recipe and all the other Latest Lifestyle News on Hindustan Times Website and APPs
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Share this article
SHARE
Story Saved
Live Score
OPEN APP
Saved Articles
Following
My Reads
Sign out
New Delhi 0C
Thursday, March 28, 2024
Start 14 Days Free Trial Subscribe Now
Follow Us On