Chief Executive Officer of Africa Tourism Partners, South Africa, Kwakye Donkor, described African tourism as huge and endless but expressed dissatisfaction about the level of exploration of its potential.
Donkor noted this in a brief chat with REPORTERS AT LARGE on Tuesday, shortly after the press briefing marking the beginning of 2023 and the 6th edition of the Africa Tourism Leadership Forum and Awards, with the theme, “Theme: “Shifting demand dynamics to shape the future of intra-Africa Travel”, held between October 4 and 6, 2023, in Gaborone, Botswana.
“Every African country has so much to offer and share with Africans and the rest of the world. Our diversity is matchless—the culture, the tradition, the heritage, and the tourism assets remain incomparable to continents, which separate us from the rest of the world. These assets are so unique and rich that one cannot say this culture, village, city, or country has the best. Africa is hugely blessed,” Donkor said.
Lack of adequate education about African tourism potential
However, the Africa Tourism Partners boss revealed that the lack of adequate education about the inherent benefits of tourism and Africa’s tourism potential is responsible for the industry’s low patronage. He lamented that even Africans do not appreciate the continent’s tourism potential.
He noted that every tourism stakeholder—the local community heads, the government, the private sector, and the media—has an educational and promotional role in exposing Africa’s tourism potential to the rest of the world for exploration and the benefit of the hosting community.
In his welcome address, Donkor described the 2023 edition of the Africa Tourism Leadership Forum and Awards as an evolution of the 6-year-old intra-travel and tourism thought-leadership dialogue series. The Forum is a flagship Pan-African public-private tourism platform curated to shape the future and optimally position travel, tourism and hospitality among Africans while shifting demand dynamics.
In collaboration with the AfCFTA Secretariat, the AfCFTA Forum on Tourism, Creative Arts and Culture, this year’s ATLF will act as a vital benchmarking tool for policymakers, tourism organisations, companies and cross-cutting sectors to advance value chain development as a way of building back better and differently. The goal is to drive adaptation and create inclusive opportunities to develop more innovative intra-African products.”
He further said, “The 2023 Forum aims to offer unique insights into opportunities for intra-Africa travel by prioritising sales and marketing opportunities for private sector actors and related partners. As a part of its long-standing tradition, this 6th edition of the Forum will continue to serve as an avenue for multi-stakeholder dialogue while advancing advocacy for progressive policies, ethical and sustainable industry practices, and investment decisions. The main thrust is to accelerate tourism with new models that ensure the longevity of this important sector and its ecosystem.”
Donkor also revealed that the ATLF 2023, a gathering of industry thought leaders, “will further strive to highlight emerging trends relating to economic sustainability and viability of businesses in the sector but also the well-being of millions of employees and local communities impacted by the sector. Equally, the 2023 Forum has been designed to elevate the dialogue around improved and favourable conditions to strengthen intra-African connectivity and reduce the cost of air travel while stimulating demand and ensuring that intra-African travel markets are open to visitors and investors.
Donkor then urged all participants, partners, and supporters to ensure that the lessons learned from all the forum sessions are applied in various operating environments. “These learnings should, however, be leveraged in a way that embeds long-term inclusivity, sustainability, business viability and industry resilience.”
