The tourism sector in Africa has for a long time depended largely on tourists from Europe and the Americas. This dependency has highlighted the industry’s fragility because it can easily be affected by negative events perceived to be close to targeted tourism destinations.

During a session dedicated to understanding and realizing the opportunities that tourism offers SMEs, delegates at WEDF heard that the sector can provide different types of enterprises with the chance to tap into significant growth markets, especially in Africa. Statistics show that the continent offers the best growth opportunities for SMEs. According to Márcio Favilla L. de Paula, Executive Director for Competitiveness, External Relations and Partnerships at the UNWTO, Africa’s share of the global domestic tourism market is estimated to be 5 per cent. By the year 2020 it is expected to reach 7 per cent.

SMEs can easily fit into the tourism product and service value chain because the entry barriers are generally low. However, regional governments will still have to play a role in promoting SME participation in tourism by deepening the integration of their economies and making it easier for people to travel across the continent.

“The East African Community has made commendable steps by ensuring that nationals from member states use a single passport and giving foreign tourists a single visa for entering Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda. This approach needs to be emulated by other countries,” said Pascal Lamy Chairman, World Committee on Tourism Ethics at the UNWTO.

Hon. Alain St. Ange, Minister for Tourism and Culture for the Seychelles said that Africans should all have the opportunity to travel extensively to know their own countries: “That way we will all be better placed to market them,” he added.

On the demand side, Davidson M. Mugisha, Managing Director, Wildlife Tours in Rwanda said that that SMEs will need to be assisted to meet the high product and service standards set by local buyers in the tourism sector. Rwanda, he noted, has been successful in setting up community tourist cooperatives owned and managed by members of the local community in all tourist locations across the country.

To learn more about this session and its panelists, click here.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here