Geneva — African government officials, tour operators and service providers from all over the world and representatives from international organizations began the first of a week-long series of meetings in Geneva Switzerland's Palexpo Convention Center Monday.
The day-long Congress of experts is being followed by four days of strategic forums and thematic events, including presentations by ministers of tourism from several countries. The sessions aim to emphasize the diversity of tourism possibilities in Africa, identify new areas in Africa with tourist potential, and explore effective ways of generating investment in the African tourist industry.
Participants all acknowledge, as Geoffrey Lipman of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) puts it, that "Africa is behind everywhere else in terms of its tourism but has huge potential."
Patrick Fitzgibbon, president for Europe and Africa of Hilton International, says there is still "a lot of room for growth in Africa," mentioning emerging opportunities in Mozambique as an example, as well as such cities as Luanda, Durban, Accra, Dar es Salaam, and Brazzaville.
Tourism already has become an increasingly important revenue earner across the continent. According to statistics cited by Jean-Claude Baumgarten of the World Travel and Tourism Council, the travel and tourism industry in North Africa represents 13.4 percent of GDP and provides 12 percent of employment. In sub-Saharan Africa, the sector contributes 8 percent of GDP and generates 10.5 million jobs, accounting for 6.6 percent of total employment. Tourism revenue in Africa is expected to grow by 4.7 percent per annum in real terms between 2007 and 2016.
Africa has a unique set of attractions for tourism, says Iain Christie, a World Bank consultant on tourism and private sector development, but he also cautions that "the footprint of tourism should be that of a gazelle, not of an elephant."
Many questions still hang over how tourism in Africa should and will develop. There is a lack of adequate infrastructure, from roads to airline services. Businesses struggle with how best to attract investment. And despite the steady growth of visitors, attitudes about Africa remain a huge hurdle to tourism development.
Acknowledging the fear factor, Ethiopian Airways chief operating officer Tewolde Gebremariam talked of African airlines and his airline in particular. "We have been a role model for safety," he said. "Unfortunately, we have a perception problem, because the world sees Africa as unsafe."
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At a forum on e-tourism on Tuesday, panelists argued that technologies can help Africa, which currently attracts only 5 percent of global tourists, to compete internationally. A partnership between the UNWTO, Microsoft and the New Partnership for African Development (Nepad) – announced in Cape Town two months ago at a Microsoft-sponsored summit of African leaders – was unveiled publicly at the session.
Project director Ahmed Kassim, seconded to Nepad by Microsoft, said his team would work with African governments, on a 10-year timeline, to make sure that the information presented "represents Africa in its official form" and that links on a website, which is being developed, will go directly to government tourism sites. The goal, he said, "is to level the playing field in Africa," enabling even small countries to showcase their attractions. Microsoft's managing director of global strategic accounts, Frank McCosker, said his company's collaboration with the UNWTO is part of a global strategy to help promote tourism as an engine of economic growth.
The Geneva strategic meetings continue through Friday with sessions on "least developed countries," cultural and heritage tours, women entrepreneurs, airline transport, wellness and health tourism and ecotourism.
