The African Travel and Tourism Association (ATTA) has published a new white paper – “Africa’s untapped tourism niches: A blueprint for growth” – identifying six under-explored tourism segments poised to contribute to sustainable growth on the continent.

Released on April 9, the white paper outlines emerging opportunities in dark-sky, roots and rural tourism as well as nature therapy, multi-sensory safaris and women-only expeditions. ATTA positions these as alternatives to traditional product offerings, capable of unlocking tourism potential in lesser-known destinations.

ATTA’s CEO Kgomotso Ramothea said: “Our research shows that, while traditional safaris remain our backbone, these emerging niches offer unprecedented opportunities to extend tourism benefits to previously overlooked communities while meeting evolving traveller demands for authenticity and purpose.”

According to the white paper, these travel segments align with broader experiential, transformational and responsible tourism trends. It highlights Ghana’s “Year of Return” campaign as an example of roots tourism’s potential with an estimated US$3.3 billion generated in 2019. It also notes the projected global growth of the agri-tourism sector expected to record a compound annual growth rate of 11.9% over the next five years.

Ramothea added: “Destinations and operators that move decisively now to develop thoughtful, community-centred niche experiences will establish market leadership that will be difficult to challenge later.”

The publication includes strategic development frameworks, case studies and recommendations for sustainability and equitable benefit-sharing. It is aimed at operators, DMOs, investors and policy makers looking to diversify offerings and broaden tourism’s impact.

Tourism stakeholders can access the white paper here.