According to this year’s forecast by the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), an estimated 1.8 billion tourists are expected to travel each year over the next ten years, and Africa has the potential to welcome a substantial number of these tourists, as long as the negative perceptions surrounding the continent change.

During a Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Events (MICE) Masterclass, organised by Africa Tourism Partners on June 13 in Johannesburg, Gillian Saunders, Deputy CEO of Grant Thornton and South Africa’s Head of Advisory, mentioned there is a massive perception issue around safety and security in South Africa, as the country has yet to demonstrate on a global stage that it has plans in place when things go wrong.

CEO of Africa Tourism Partners, Kwakye Donkor, said that the issue of safety and security has a particularly negative impact on Africa as a whole, adding: “It is more about how we manage these perceptions.”

This was reiterated by Saunders, who said: “A contingency plan is key for security, before it spirals out of control on social media.” Saunders used Cape Town’s dubbing of ‘Day Zero’ as an example of poor crisis communication by South Africa.

The sentiment was shared by South African Tourism CEO, Sisa Ntshona who said during a media and stakeholders briefing in Johannesburg on June 14, that coining the term ‘Day Zero’ caused a significant a amount of damage, which quickly caught the attention of international media, who went on to depict an exaggerated situation in the Cape, adding: “It was a very dramatic campaign.”

“Things can happen outside of tourism and still impact the positivity of tourism,” said Ntshona.

He added that when incidents around safety and security occur in foreign countries, they do not receive the same amount of coverage as when they happen in South Africa, nor are they as sensationalised. “The world is more forgiving of first world countries, than developing countries,” commented Ntshona.

Security has a negative impact on travel in Africa, according to Donkor, whilst Saunders noted that safety and security has a worse impact on MICE than it does on tourism. This in turn impacts leisure travel in Africa as business travellers tend to spend more when visiting a country, and “majority of visitors travel further after an event,” which in turn “generates tourism”.

Earlier this year, Tourism Update published an article where Jared Higgins, CEO of Secure Drive, a member of the Arcfyre Group, said: “Tourism and government need to work together to send out the right message. It is important for people to work together. If the perception of fear exists, people will not visit, and that needs to change.” 

Last year, Márcio Favilla, UNWTO Executive Director for Competitiveness, External Relations and Partnerships, said: “It is estimated it (Africa) will receive 130 million arrivals by 2030.”

However, he highlighted the need for improved marketing “to improve perceptions of the continent and stronger focus on regional and domestic markets, along with investment on infrastructure, and the promotion of “safe, secure and seamless travel,” reports Xinhuanet.

“Nonetheless, safety and security issues in Africa are not as they are in other parts of the world, as African security agencies know where the safety and security hotspots are,” concluded Donkor.

Ending off, Ntshona said: “Let’s protect the tourism brand.”