Thank you "Tourism Update" for the succinct summary of the 2017 international tourist arrivals as released by the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). A cursory
look at the data makes it clear that our beloved continent still has a
long way to go to secure its fare share of international tourist
arrivals. At 62 million international tourist arrivals, Africa's share,
although the highest that it has ever been, represents a mere 4.7% of
the global total of 1.3 billion arrivals. A closer examination may
reveal that north and southern African countries such as Morocco,
Tunisia, and South Africa, together, actually account for well over 50%
of Africa's arrivals, leaving the other countries with precious little
to show. Very disturbing. African governments and multilateral institutions (AU
Commission, NEPAD, SADC, ECOWAS, EAC, ECCAS) must stop paying lip
service and put in place actionable policy frameworks, adopt well informed
strategies and provide adequate resources that will allow for the emergence of a
globally competitive, regionally balanced, and economically inclusive
tourism sector in Africa. Africa can do this.