Tourism in Africa

Tourism is an important economic sector for many countries in Africa. There are many countries that benefit heavily from tourism like Uganda, Algeria, Egypt, South Africa, Kenya, Morocco, Tunisia, Ghana and Tanzania. The touristic particularity of Africa lies in the wide variety of points of interest, diversity and multitudes of landscapes as well as the rich cultural heritage. Also, an ecotourist industry is present in some African countries (i.e. South Africa, Kenya, Namibia, Rwanda, Zambia, Uganda, Mozambique, etc.).

Overview

The continent of Africa can be divided into three groups relative to tourism:
#those countries with a developed tourism industry;
#those with a developing industry;
#those that would like to develop a tourism industry.
Countries like Morocco, Egypt, South Africa and Tunisia have a successful tourism industry. Countries like Kenya, Zimbabwe, Eswatini and Mauritius can be considered as countries that have steady and consistent income from tourism. Countries like Algeria and Burundi are countries that have little to no economic benefit from tourism, but would like to see it expand.

The successful countries in tourism are thriving due to a variety of factors. Countries like Morocco and Tunisia benefit from their beautiful beaches and their relative proximity to Europe. Tourism in Egypt is based on the rich history of Ancient Egypt, pyramids, artifacts and breathtaking Red Sea beaches. South Africa and Kenya benefit from wild safari expeditions, attracting tourists to see the wildlife of Africa.

Ecotourism

Ecotourism is the concept of responsible trips and travel to areas that might be protected and especially fragile. The intent is to create as little detrimental impact on the environment as possible. In some locations (such as Gorongosa National Park) where the wildlife has previously been decimated, rewilding has been done and much of the wildlife has been brought back (along with vegetation, thus allowing the environment to sequester more carbon then what was previously the case). This return of wildlife has created tourism opportunities (wildlife viewing, safari trips) allowing to bring in financial revenue. It also requires personnel such as park rangers, to be present, thus creating local employment opportunities.

Tourism by Arrivals

All of the data presented here is from the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and from "Reviewing Africa in the Global Tourism Economy."Rogerson, Christian (2017). "Reviewing Africa in the global tourism economy", Vol. 24 No. 3 United Nations World Tourism Organization. September 2017.
The following table shows the number of arrivals in each country:

Tourism by Receipts

The following map and data depict the income from tourism in US dollar equivalent:

Notes

See also

* Africa-EU partnership: sustainable growth and jobs
*Climate change in Africa
*Climate change adaptation
*Eco hotel
* ECOWAS ECOTOUR
* Ecosystem restoration
* European Tourism Manifesto
*UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration
*Safari lodge

References

External links

South Africa Tours
- Official travel operator in Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.
{{Tourism in Africa