Reflecting some of the pertinent points raised at last week’s Africa Youth in Tourism Innovation Summit, Tourism Update readers identify a lack of skills development and training opportunities as the biggest barrier to youth in the tourism industry.
In our latest poll, 33% of respondents selected this as the biggest barrier. Disillusionment with employment in the sector – caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, amongst other reasons – was also identified as a major barrier, with 29% of readers choosing that option. This was followed by lack of funding (13%), regulatory restrictions (10%), a lack of youth-focused programmes (7%) and a lack of mentorship (5%), while 3% of readers selected ‘other’.
What is the potential for tourism investment?
From June 7-9, the Tourism Investment Forum Africa will take place in South Africa’s Northern Cape province, to highlight opportunities and drive investment in southern Africa’s tourism sector. With the region’s tourism industry steadily recovering post-pandemic, investment prospects are emerging once again, and we want to know whether you think there is a worthwhile return on investment.
Our poll question this week is: