Windhoek
Namibia has joined a number of African countries eager to have tourism on top of the African Union (AU) agenda, as one of the most promising sectors on the continent in terms of investment for development and revenue generation.
African states, who are members of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), Namibia included, feel tourism is one of the continent’s most promising sectors, as in 2014 Africa received 56 million international tourists, up from 26 million in 2000. According to the UNWTO Africa Regional Report, international tourism receipts in Africa amount to U$36 billion (about N$489 billion) or 7 percent of all exports from the continent, the report indicates.
Deputy Minister of Environment and Tourism Tommy Nambahu says long gone are the days when people thought tourism is a “white man’s business” and that Africans should foster and harness the sector, because it contributes more than many sectors.
He explained that the capacity of the tourism sector to contribute to the development of the continent is often hindered by an unwarranted and disproportionately negative perception of Africa. This, he says, is exacerbated by the generalisation of crises, whereby an event occurring in a specific location may be perceived internationally as much more widespread, thereby affecting the image not just of that country, but of the whole continent.
“We can do it. We’re campaigning for tourism to be on the agenda of the AU, because it contributes more. It is a matter of mindset, for people like myself, until yesterday we were seeing tourism as the business of other people. To be frank, it was a white man’s business. What is there to be seen? Where did you see a guy like me with a bag on my back visiting places? But we have to change,” he said.
He stressed that tourism can be used to aggressively market a country, as it does not cost much to render a positive image to visitors and receive accolades for it.
African states say negative perceptions lead to inaccurate and damaging stereotypes that impact the entire continent, which can have a deleterious effect on Africa’s image, and consequently on tourism and its potential for economic development.
According to the report, the effect of Ebola on tourism in Africa in 2014 is seen as a case in point. “International tourist arrivals to Africa, which had been growing at an average of 5 percent a year in the previous two years, grew by only 2 percent in 2014, as a result of the impact of the misperception about the health risks,” the report reads.
It further states that countries nowhere near the location of outbreaks suffered because of the negative reputational effects. However, it says, most significantly there are numerous positive stories in Africa that do not manage to reach a global audience and therefore fail to impact on international perceptions of the region – stories that could redress the current narrative that underpins a negative stereotype.
“We know tourism has been able to assist countries, such as Saudi Arabia who realised that the petro-dollar cannot be the alpha and omega.
Tourism has to be equally mainstreamed as a sector that can contribute to national growth and GDP,” Nambahu noted.
“Africa has a major opportunity to harness the potential of tourism to foster development, increase its participation in the global economy and generate revenue for investment in other activities,” the report stated.