African governments must prioritise tourism development to stimulate economic growth and development on the continent, Tourism minister Walter Mzembi has said.
Wisdom Mdzungairi in Medellín, Colombia
Mzembi, who is also United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) chairman of the Commission for Africa, said tourism had long-term intangible benefits that came with enhancing destinations amid reports that Zimbabwe’s projected 5,1% tourism growth for 2015/16 was ahead of all other economic sectors.
During the 21st UNWTO general assembly, it emerged that some member countries have dedicated Cabinet meetings focusing on tourism once or twice every month, a move that has seen the hospitality industry growing.
“Africa must create synergies to grow the tourism sector and stimulate the economy. Africa cannot rely on mining, oil or agriculture anymore. But the mischief is in the government structure. There is no doubt tourism is the largest source of foreign currency earnings. So co-operation is required between government departments. Economic policies must dovetail from tourism blueprints,” Mzembi said.
He said Africa was concerned by its stagnated growth over the years, hence UNWTO Africa commission would want to achieve double-digit growth in the next two years.
According to the UNWTO, international tourist arrivals in Africa increased 2% last year from the 56 million international tourists welcomed on the continent.
Sub-Saharan Africa grew by an estimated 3% in 2014, based on available information. Arrivals to the sub-region’s largest destination South Africa were flat last year.
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Worth mentioning among other destinations for which data is reported are Cote d’Ivoire (+24%), Madagascar (+13%), Mauritius (+5%), Zimbabwe (3%) and the Seychelles (+1%).
Mzembi urged the UNWTO to review global tourism performance, the challenges and threats besetting it, opportunities beckoning and how countries can leverage travel to grow the global economy.
“. . . in the face of recurrent global recessions, beyond the commodity boom of the last decades, it is the tourism sector, because of its resilience and low hanging fruit characteristics, that offers the most practical prospects to kick-start and catalyse our national economies back to life,” Mzembi said.
He advocated for the scaling up of religious tourism, telling the audience that Jehovah’s Witnesses who thronged Zimbabwe for their first international convention in the country had set a fine example which should be followed by all church organisations.
“Jehovah’s Witnesses held their international convention in Harare. In fact, this organisation set a fine example of how church organisations should behave, peaceable, orderly, in such a manner that gave a fine ministry of their God, while boosting the country’s tourism receipts,” he said.
“We have observed how Papal tours in Latin America have motivated travel and given a new impetus to religious and pilgrimage tourism. Pope Francis’s role in restoring relations between the United States and Cuba are most commendable in this instance. This has confirmed the peace-building and people-to-people diplomacy role that travel and tourism can play going forward.”
The future of aviation, the minister said, lies in three policy thrusts — airports, global alliances and government intervention.
He said there was need to create a new value proposition for UNWTO and make it the first choice membership organisation and lure those who have opted out after most of Africa last year recorded weaker growth in most destinations.
Seychelles Tourism minister Alain St Ange added Africa should quickly deal with the issue of air connectivity to boost tourism receipts.
