Media coverage of the mpox outbreak has intensified discussions about the need to counteract the many negative and inaccurate perceptions of Africa among travellers. The issue will be a key point of discussion at the 7th annual Africa Tourism Leadership Forum (ATLF) in Botswana’s capital, Gaborone, from September 3-6.
Speaking at the opening media briefing, Kwakye Donkor, CEO of event organiser Africa Tourism Partners, highlighted the perennial challenges African countries face in promoting travel to the continent.
“A good example is what is happening with mpox currently. The narratives are twisted and changed and it’s all negativity about Africa,” said Donkor.
African media houses have a pivotal role to play in working with tourism stakeholders to positively showcase the continent, he pointed out.
“I urge the media to work with the industry because we must remember, when we perpetuate negativity, it directly affects those who live here, including the media, because tourism touches every single facet of our lives – where you eat and choose to sleep, where you drive, everything. We are here to work with you and everyone else to fight for positive development across the tourism industry.”
A platform for intra-African tourism growth
Attracting over 700 attendees from across Africa, the theme of ATLF is “Charting a new path forward for intra-Africa travel, tourism and investments”. The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) believes regional tourism in Africa could play a leading role in helping the industry add US$168 billion to the continent’s economy annually over the next decade while creating over 18 million new jobs.
However, as highlighted by the WTTC and repeatedly raised by sector stakeholders, lack of air connectivity, expensive flights and restrictive visa policies remain in the way of fully unlocking the value of intra-African tourism. Lack of appetite for travel between African countries is a major hurdle, added Donkor.
“We talk of connectivity as a big challenge but the airlines are running businesses. If they don’t have the numbers, they will not fly the route. So, the issues we discuss can only be resolved when we grow the numbers by working together with everyone in the tourism industry.”
Immigration officials need to come aboard
Donkor mentioned the need to bridge the significant gap between tourism and immigration and visa policy-making departments.
“The concept of tourism is foreign to immigration officials. They don’t understand the economies of tourism and the jobs that tourism creates. Unfortunately, we the stakeholders in tourism, have not managed to bring along our colleagues in the immigration ministries.”
However, he cited the progressive visa policies of Rwanda (which announced visa-free access to nationals from all African countries at the end of 2023) and the Seychelles (which does not require visas for travellers from any country) as examples for the rest of the continent to follow.
Commenting on Namibia’s controversial move to revoke visa-free status for non-reciprocal nations from April 2025, Donkor said such stances are detrimental to tourism.
“The policy-makers have reasons for doing that which I am not privy to but, from a tourism perspective, it shouldn’t be the case. If you are the weakest link in that fight, you suffer the most,” said Donkor.
Africa’s overall difficulties in producing data and statistics is a hindrance to the industry, he added.
“You cannot advocate for any cause in this world without having the facts to justify what you are doing, why you are doing it and why it should be supported. Unless we are able to do that, these challenges are going to persist. That is why the role of the media and the role of stakeholders is critical in educating and informing.”
