By Elias Aad
Over the last eight years, travel and tourism has grown by 17,3 percent in the top ten fastest-growing global destinations. This rate speaks to the rapid growth of tourism and how the industry, and an increasing priority for countries seeking for new growth opportunities.
In emerging markets tourism grew from 30 percent in 1980 to 45 percent in 2015 and is expected to reach 57 percent by 2030. Africa has not enjoyed the same growth rate, and although the continent offers a range of benefits, the sector remains largely an untapped opportunity.
This is largely due to challenges facing the sector, including security concerns. Recognizing the economic importance to mitigating the challenges was high on the agenda during the 2017 World Tourism Conference held in Rwanda earlier this year. Sector leaders discussed how to maximize opportunities and also reviewed the needs of the sector to reach its full potential. The event was attended by tourism ministers from various African countries alongside tour operators, travel agents, hotels, airlines, some of the key private sector players.
A set of challenges were identified and we broadly agreed that focusing on tackling them together, as industry leaders and the public sector, would make tangible differences to not only each of the African countries independently but also for the continent as a whole. Easing of travel visa restrictions Current travel visa restrictions prevent even Africans from exploring their own continent.
The ministers highlighted the complexity behind removing visas, especially considering that there are a number of factors, including security that needs to be considered. However, keen consideration and solutions as to how countries can circumnavigate the concerns around the need for travel documents will go a long way to feed into the decision to remove the need all together. By removing travel restrictions – particularly at an inter-African level – would boost the sector significantly. Developing infrastructure that allows for easy travel Lack of adequate infrastructure, whether air, road or water, makes it complicated to travel between destinations. For example, a traveler going from Kigali, in CAR, to Cape Verde, in South Africa, will need to take connecting flights and routes – which is costly and a real hassle for business travelers. As it stands now, there is critical need to further develop strong air routes and road networks that connect African locations as well as considering other smart ways to utilize existing infrastructure.
This speaks to the importance of developing smart, connected, cities across Africa – technology will go a long way to boosting efficiencies that will have long-term benefits on tourism. Going cashless must be a priority for African economies. With 94 percent of retail transactions still in cash, there is real need to displace cash, in view of the countless benefits for consumers to shift behaviour. This will additionally be of benefit to the sector and overall economy. Focus on Safety: Digital payment is far safer, although in Africa there is still need to retain some transactions in cash, it is important to develop a wider acceptance network that includes hotels and tourist hot spots.
Customer experience: The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, COMESA, has launched a program called From Cape Town to Cairo, to provide travellers with a full itinerary to travel from, to and in-between these cities. The initiative is helping to take the pain out of having to carry multiple currencies when travelling. The collaboration highlights the importance of similar initiatives, and a closer relationship between countries.
Increased tourism spending: Hospitality providers and retailers benefit from higher footfall and greater purchase power from consumers given the ease of paying for goods digitally. Contribution to GDP growth: A Moody’s study showed that increased use of electronic payments added 0,8 percent to the GDP across emerging markets and 0,3 percent for developed markets. This was driven by; higher potential tax revenue; lower cash handling costs; guaranteed payment for merchants; a reduction in the grey economy due to lower unreported cash transactions; and greater financial inclusion.
The reality is that these seamless experiences will only be realized once the provision of sound infrastructure is implemented.
