Five indicators of tourism potential in Africa

8 Jun 2017

Africa is beautiful, but the future of the continent's economy is dependent on how the potential of tourism is properly harnessed. Jumia Travel shares five interesting indicators of tourism becoming the biggest contributor to Africa's economy.

tpsdave via pixabay

Diversity of landscapes and cultural richness

The continent is one of the most beautiful destinations in the world. Some examples of the beautiful destinations include: Tsavo National Park in Kenya, Simien Mountains National Park in Ethiopia, Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Olumo & Zuma Rock in Nigeria, Victoria Falls Bridge in Zimbabwe, Kasubi Tombs in Uganda, Cape Coast Castle in Ghana, Kruger National Park in South Africa, the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt, and Lago Rosa (Lake Retba or Lac Rose) in Senegal.

Young and urban population - part of the growing middle class

The youth are the future of any nation’s economy. Surprisingly, the African youths are now part of the growing middle class. Traveling, to an extent, can be expensive. Only those with the required purchasing power can conveniently travel. According to the recently released hospitality report on Africa, the growing middle class, comprising majorly of youth, are found to travel more to these destinations in 2016. Since the future of the African economies lies with the youth, tourism is bound to thrive.

Growing uptake of e-commerce, enabling rise of tech startups

The rise of e-commerce companies in Africa has propelled more and more tech startups in the continent. As e-commerce continues to experience a gradual boom, additional employments will be created, more people will have the means to travel and explore the continent.

Infrastructure improvements

As much as there’s a deficit of infrastructure development in Africa, there’s still hope after all. Government institutions in each country are now making frantic efforts to provide an enabling environment for tourism to thrive, such as the provision of good roads, building world-class airports (and rehabilitating old ones), ensuring 24/7 power supply, and much more. These improvements will ease the stress of travelling to or within the continent.

Increasing interest in the continent

Organisations are rising up to invest in the continent, considering how much potential it has. More and more airlines are being introduced almost every year; international hotel chains are expanding into Africa and many event organisations are tapping into Africa.