AFRICA, in particular South Africa, is well placed to reap the benefits from a growing trend towards niche tourism among UK holidaymakers, says Norma Meyer of ECCO Tours.

She says particular niche tourism growth opportunities in Africa are boutique-style properties, activity-driven holidays and environmentally sustainable establishments.

Positive influences include the lack of time difference; English being widely spoken; Africa's unique package offerings; active holidays; and exotic locations. Negatives include security issues; lack of air access; negative perceptions of crime; poverty/ famine/HIV; the strength of the competition; and comparatively high prices. With a 31% market share, South Africa is by far the most popular destination in Africa among UK holiday makers, followed by Tunisia (19%), Morocco and Kenya (11% each), Mauritius (6%), Zambia (5%), Tanzania and Ghana (3% each) and other (11%). Africa ranks third amongst the UK's top four leisure tourism destinations after North America (35%), East Asia and the Pacific (28,5%), Africa (11%) and the Middle East (10%). Meyer says outbound UK tour operators have refocused their strategies on niche sectors to avoid repeated price wars on mass-market package tour destinations. They are moving steadily away from a congested UK short-haul market towards long-haul destinations and specialist holidays. UK tourism trends include more frequent, shorter holidays; tailor-made independent travel; shorter lead times in bookings; and increased demand for exotic, faraway and less visited destinations. There is a growing interest in eco-tourism and more activity-orientated breaks. Most favoured holidays for the next five years are: cruising (22%), niche markets (21%), short breaks (17%), independent (14%), beach (14%) and all-inclusive (12%). The UK takes third place in the world ranking of top tourism spenders.  Its population is 60m, but the number of UK visits abroad was 69,5m in 2006, compared to 55,1m from Europe and 4,7m from North America.