Recalibrating the African tourism industry towards a local and regional strategy
World’s end, Mpumalanga, South Africa
As African countries seek to adapt to the challenges posed by restrictions on global tourism due to COVID-19, Rwanda has set a shining example in terms of adapting to the times and marketing itself as a new option for African tourists in particular. There have also been key gains in South Africa, where the hospitality industry made a strategic move towards adapting its prices to become more accessible to the local market. There is a need for policies on tourism within Africa which stimulate domestic tourism by meeting people where they are in terms of affordability. Rwanda and South Africa set strong examples on that front and there is an opportunity to build on their progress even long after usual service has resumed.
According to The Africa Report, losses to the African tourism industry were on course to hit $250bn in 2021. Domestic tourism, as well as intra-African tourism across country borders, have been mooted as a potential solution, with Rwanda doing a particularly impressive job in putting the oft-repeated slogans to practice.
The mountain gorillas of the bamboo forests in Rwanda are a key tourist attraction. Importantly, the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) cut the price of permits from $1500 to $200 for Rwandans and the East African Community nationals residing in Rwanda, with foreign residents getting a price cut to $500.
Rwanda’s swift response to the challenge of replacing income from overseas tourism— which was booming before COVID-19— ensured that the tourism sector was able to bounce back to a large extent.
Lake Kivu, Rwanda
Kigali/ BK Arena, Rwanda
Local tourism
Travel restrictions placed on African countries by global superpowers make it difficult to attract tourists from overseas, but Rwanda has showed how this could present an opportunity for African countries to smake their tourism policies more accessible to the local market. Rwanda hosted the 2021 Basketball Africa League (BAL) edition, which was available to over a billion viewers worldwide despite the lack of in-person spectators. The entire tournament—initially planned to be a moving show—was held at the Kigali Arena.
The BAL, a product of the NBA (National Basketball Association) and FIBA (the International Basketball Federation), featured high-profile names ranging from multi-platinum rapper J. Cole to former Toronto Raptors, Cleveland Cavaliers and New Jersey Nets star Ben Uzoh. Players were housed in a secure bio-bubble, which ensured that the onlysnag throughout the course of the tournament was the postponement of Egyptian side Zamalek’s game against GS P troliers of Algeria. The game was eventually held regardless with Zamalek winning 97-64 en route to the title. The BAL was a roaring success overall. In the long run, spectators from across Africa are likely to fill the stands at future editions of the BAL, making it an even more attractive opportunity going forward.
Had Rwanda not stepped up to the plate for the 2021season, the tournament would have lost time in its bid to market itself to fans across the continent. Rwanda was not the only country which had to adapt and market itself to African tourists more than was the norm before COVID-19. For its part, South Africa was hit especially hard by restrictions on international tourists, with occupancy rates dropping threefold, but heavily discounted deals and packages helped the economy recover to some extent.
South Africa adapts
There has been heavy reliance in South Africa, up until this point, on the comparatively deep pockets of international tourists. However, the country was able to adapt and make the country’s many attractions more accessible to the local market, with SA Tourism’s Sho’t Left campaign announcing discounts of up to 50% in July 2021.
Income from accommodation increased by 33.1% month-on-month in August 2021 across South Africa as the country continued its recovery, which has been heavily reliant on local tourism. Caravan parks, guest houses, guest farms and camping sites have proven particularly popular in recent months.
The country moved beyond a devastating third wave of COVID-19 and the outlook for the holiday season in December 2021 was positive until the omicron variant was discovered by South African scientists. Hasty travel bans placed on the country meant that strong domestic tourism offers were more important than ever. Fortunately, local tourists came to the fore in many respects. For example, Cape Town Tourism reported a 64% increase in domestic visitors compared to the previous year, with this wave of local tourism injecting an estimated R800 million into the local economy.
Despite the damage caused to tourism by responses to the discovery of the Omicron variant, predictions that the fourth wave would not be as severe as the previous surge proved to be correct, which meant that the holiday season was not as badly affected as had been feared. The African Union’s “Trusted Travel Pass” is likely to come into greater effect in months to come as African citizens look to travel across borders again.
The likes of Ethiopian Airlines, who serve 62 African cities, have an excellent opportunity to capitalize if tourists from the African continent can find suitable deals. There is no way to romanticize the devastation caused by COVID-19, but at the very least, the African continent has hardly been in a better position to market its beauty to its own citizens.
