By Prudence Arobani
New York – UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) on Thursday stressed the need for African governments to make it easier and safer for Africans to travel within the continent.
The Secretary-General of UNCTAD, Mr Mukhisa Kituyi, made the call in a new report called “The UNCTAD’s Economic Development in Africa Report 2017” which focused on tourism for transformative and inclusive growth.
He noted that tourism demand was increasingly being driven by Africans themselves.
He stated that “tourism is a dynamic sector with phenomenal potential in Africa. If properly managed, it can contribute immensely to diversification and inclusion for vulnerable communities.”
Ms Chantal Carpentier, the Chief of UNCTAD’s New York office, said tourism export revenues tripled since 1998 from 14 billion dollars to nearly 47 billion dollars.
She added that “tourism now contributes to about 8.5 per cent of Africa’s
Gross Domestic Product (GDP), compared with 6.8 per cent in 1998.
“African tourism is increasingly driven by Africans themselves due to growing middle-income class,” Carpentier said, adding that four out of 10 international tourists in Africa are from the continent itself.
“By 2026, tourism’s direct contribution to GDP is forecast to surpass 121 billion dollars,” she noted, highlighting some of the findings from the report, adding to realise the continent’s economic growth, African governments should take some steps.
According to her, African governments should liberalise air transport, promote free movement of persons, ensure currency convertibility and crucially recognise the value of African tourism and plan for it.
She noted the importance of easing red tape in travel between countries, such as limiting the number of visas needed when travelling on the continent, using the European Union one visa as example.
The UNCTAD official also noted the importance of keeping money in the continent, such as by sourcing food from local farmers, many of whom are living in poverty, instead of importing from overseas.
“This will require capacity building for producers to meet international standards and produce in time to meet demands,” Carpentier said adding the growing tourism sector offers opportunities for young people, who globally make up about half of the tourism labour force.
The sector is also heavily women-driven, with nearly one-third of jobs taken up by women, and nearly half in the hotel and restaurant sector, she said.
Another important theme highlighted in the report is the mutually beneficial relationship between peace, or its perceptions, and tourism, noting that the economic impacts of political stability can be quite significant and long-lasting.
“For example, following political instability in Tunisia, total tourism receipts in 2009 to 2011 declined by 27 per cent on average, from 3.5 billion dollars in 2009 to 2.5 billion dollars in 2011.
“Addressing safety and security concerns as well as swift responses to crises by African governments and regional institutions are paramount to the growth of tourism in Africa.
“Promoting strategies aimed at improving Africa’s image in the global media are also critical in ensuring the sector’s recovery after conflict or political unrest,” UNCTAD report stated.
UNCTAD said the mere appearance of instability in a region could deter tourists, leading to devastating, long-lasting economic consequences, adding, however, the perception of danger does not always correspond with reality.
“The 2014 Ebola outbreak in western Africa, despite being isolated to relatively few countries in that region, resulted in a loss across the entire continent,” the report added. (NAN)