The typical images of Africa usually take one of two routes: wildlife in tourist brochures and poverty, natural disasters, and AIDS/HIV in newspapers and on TV. But that's not all there is to Africa's story, said five experts from the travel field. The panelists convened to discuss marketing Africa as a travel destination full of beauty, cultural importance, and adventure.
The panelists from Africa and the United States shared ideas for crafting niches in travel to the continent and addressed serious hurdles they face including infrastructure and perceptions of safety.
"Tourism is the biggest industry in the world, and Africa has 4 percent of the market for it," said Iain Thornton Christie, moderator of the session and a former World Bank official for twenty-seven years who is now a consultant in private sector development and tourism. "Four percent is a small number but a huge opportunity."
Data for travel should be examined with a skeptical eye because there is no uniform method of measuring such data in each country, he explained. Operators on the continent may not tally all their visitors, for instance, because doing so would increase their tax bills. Nonetheless, it is clear that the biggest generators of tourism money in Africa are Tunisia, Morocco, and South Africa. (Worldwide the top draws are France, Spain, the U.S., and Italy.)
Thornton countered the view that tourism does not benefit communities. Over the last few years, tourism in the Seychelles—along with an increase in ocean fisheries—have boosted per-capita income there from $500 to $6,000, he said.
| We need to network ourselves. Many Africans don't know their own countries. |
| — Peter J. Mwenguo |
The African continent has potential not just for international travelers but also local, a possible market that is usually overlooked, said Peter J. Mwenguo, managing director of the Tanzania Tourist Board. He hoped local travelers could create a "cyclical effect" of benefits for individual countries and regions. The problem with travel between neighboring African countries, however, is that only five airlines serve the entire continent. Travelers are more likely to change planes at London Heathrow than in the capital city of an African country right next door to them, panelists complained. African passport holders are also more likely to attract unnecessary scrutiny than visitors from the West, they said.
"We need to network ourselves," said Mwenguo. "Many Africans don't know their own countries," a view echoed by members of the audience. "Develop packages to attract Africans themselves. I know access is a problem, but partner with airlines. Join hands. Make it as enjoyable to travel as in Europe," he said. It is a waste of precious time to have to travel to Europe just to go to another African country, he added.
The niches
Even more than a domestic African market, there is huge potential for tapping into niche segments from the American population, said Gaynelle Henderson-Bailey. Her travel agency, Henderson Travel Service, of which she is president and CEO, was founded in Atlanta in 1955 by her mother. "At that time it was difficult for black people to travel across town, must less to Africa, which was still called 'the dark continent,'" she said. As a family business, Henderson Travel has been sending tours to Africa since 1957.
Henderson identified three major markets of American travelers who could be attracted to Africa:
Baby boomers. They like to travel. They are young in attitude, physically fit, and at the peak of their earning power, she said. There are expected to be around 23 million boomers aged 45-55 by 2005.
Adventure travelers. They enjoy biking, kayaking, hiking, river rafting—all untapped niches in resource-rich Africa.
Cultural heritage tourists. This is a niche that is particularly attractive to the African-American market, she said. African Americans spend $30 billion worldwide on travel, including trips to historical sites and museums, she said. The average African American traveler is forty-six years old, educated, affluent, and journeys with family in tow. Programs need to be designed to appeal to them.
Another overlooked segment is convention and conference travelers, panelists said. The countries of Ghana, Tanzania, and South Africa are becoming popular as destinations for corporate meetings.
Countering negative perceptions of Africa is a barrier that people in the travel business have to deal with a lot, all panelists agreed. Media stories usually focus on the considerable problems of disease, famine, war, and other disasters, they complained. Travel brochures can also be counter-productive, because while they may attract people with lush photos of exotic animals and shimmering water, they undercut their potential when they fail to offer images of African people; this juxtaposition creates an impersonal effect that can alienate potential visitors. And there is safety. Organized travel groups of business or leisure travelers always ask, "Is it safe?"
While travel agencies need to gauge the conditions honestly to get return visitors, the countries themselves, beginning with ministries, should take on the lion's share of communication because tourism is an economic driver, they said. Pressure the governments and give them feedback, advised Dominic Ntube, director of the World Bank Group-IMF Africa Society Secretariat.
Electronic media can both help and hurt tourism, added Mwenguo. "If something happens, it's online a minute later," he said. He suggested inviting more travel writers to visit Africa to get a good word out.
Panelist Karen B. Hoffman helped the HBS Africa Business Club organize the discussion. Hoffman is senior vice president of the Bradford Group and press director of the Africa Travel Association. The discussion took place on February 28, 2004 at Harvard Business School. 