AFRICA


Goal-den times T


here is no doubt that South Africa’s successful hosting of the 2010 football World Cup was a major coup for the rainbow nation and the entire African continent.


The spectacular new football stadiums, magnificent landscape,


colourful fans and those vuvuzelas – the plastic horns arguably became South Africa’s biggest export for a month – and, of course, the football, showcased a new, vibrant and exciting Africa to the world. Perhaps the big question now, then, is can South Africa and the whole


African continent build on this success and gain some momentum in terms of tourism and economic growth and airport development? The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) certainly believes that


the tournament will prove the catalyst for tourism growth across the entire continent. “Of course, who will forget the noise of the vuvuzela?” jokes John


Kester, UNWTO’s manager of tourism trends and marketing strategies programme. “Seriously though, I think that television coverage, in Europe in particular, showcased the country and region very well and this will boost the image of both South Africa and the rest of Africa going forward.” This is good news for Africa, which has, for many years, had an image


problem – too often associated with poverty, conflict and instability. Indeed, the tournament showed the world a very different Africa – one


that is technically developed, with good infrastructure and world-class tourism attractions. “The whole World Cup has been a tremendous boost for South


Africa, but also for Africa as a whole. People all over the world got to see that Africa is a very varied continent with distinct countries that are at different stages of development,” notes Kester. “It showed that Africa


64 AIRPORT WORLD/AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2010


With airport development at an all time high and tourism rising across the continent, is Africa finally about to realise its potential? Lucy Siebert investigates.


has lots of potential and it showed the spirit of the people, the stunning landscapes, the big cities and the wildlife.” This positive coverage comes at a time when Africa’s travel and tourism


arrivals are already performing relatively well, adds Kester. He explains: “It is important to note that the African region was the


one to buck the trend in 2008. While all other regions had a sharp decline, Africa’s arrivals grew 3% over the year and, overall, Africa has performed quite dynamically over the past decade, with international tourist arrivals in the region growing from 26.5 million in 2000 to 45.6 million in 2009, and international tourism receipts in the same period from $10.4 billion to $28.7 billion. “Though from a smaller base and with many more countries, the region


has been about as buoyant and dynamic as the Middle East and Asia, so Africa is definitely moving in the right direction.” Kester says this can largely be attributed to the growing awareness in


many African countries of the type of business environment that is required in order to grow tourism. “You need stability, safety and security, suitable infrastructure and an


awareness of the economic impact of tourism,” comments Kester. “Many African countries have made good strides in these areas, which makes it easier for the tourism industry to attract growing numbers of visitors.” However, Kester cautions against making sweeping generalisations. “It is


difficult to speak about a whole continent as one, as there are more than 50 countries in Africa, but as a general statement there is improvement in Africa,” he notes. There are obvious examples, in key regions, where African governments


are showing a far greater commitment to growing tourism and providing the necessary infrastructure to support the industry.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88