Do not ignore African tourists, they are the future; UN trade and devt agency chief says
The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) secretary-general Mukhisa Kituyi has called on African governments to give attention to tourists from within the continent to further grow tourism rather than focus on those from across the oceans.
Speaking at the 41st Annual World Tourism Conference underway in Kigali, Rwanda, Kituyi said that African countries fail to appreciate and give attention to tourists from the continent, the New Times reports.
He further said that much attention is being paid to tourists from Europe, America and Asia who tend to be seasonal.
“The fastest growing tourism is intra-African tourism. Movement of tourists from one African country to another. There are very many positive components about Intra-African tourism, one is that it is not seasonal. It is 12 months a year, conference tourism, medical tourism, educational tourism and business visit. This sustains the industry better than the occasional seasonal tourism,” he said.
Kituyi further said that the fact that tourists from outside the continent are prioritized, those from Africa have had to experience poor service delivery.
He stressed on the importance of advocating and rolling out visa across the continent so as to boost intra-African tourism.
Currently tourists from the continent make up a total of 44 per cent of the total visitors received in the continent and the number is expected to increase to 50 per cent in the coming years, this according to UNCTAD.
