The Untapped Potential of Tourism for Africas Development By Brendan Pastor SOUTH-SOUTH NEWS, New York - Imagery of an exotic

vacation on a Safari in Zambia, or a stroll through ancient Souks in Marrakesh, or visits to Egypts Giza Pyramids typically come to mind when thinking of tourism in Africa. Despite their allure in the minds of most Americans and Europeans, Africas tourist destinations do not rank in the top 30 list of most desired travel locations. For development experts and economists, this is a serious problem, but also an area of potential success in helping drive Africas long-term economic development. Currently, Africas growth rate is something of an anomaly. While other regions around the world, either developed or developing, have seen anemic, stagnant or sometimes even negative growth, most countries in sub-Saharan Africa are registering double-digit rates. And as a whole, Africa is growing at an average 5 percent each year, equaling a collective GDP of over $1.8 trillion, or the entire economic wealth of Brazil. Although the specific reasons for Africas growth are still debated by economists, there is a general agreement that tourism is one of Africas untapped resources for wealth, improved living standards, and sustainable income for millions of people. This week, the World Bank released a comprehensive report the first of its kind on tourism trends and their role in sustainable development. With twenty-four case studies, it provides insight into what measures constitute effective tourism infrastructure, with lessons on how to adapt to the specific contexts of Africa. Africas mountains, savannahs and rivers, and cultural events such as music, dance and festivals are far above the natural assets found in other regions, says Iain Christie, a co-author of the report. With these natural attributes, tourism can play an enormous role in development. But to do so it must be integrated into each countrys economy and government structure and be seen as a benefit by everyone, from the president, to the ministers to the general population. According to the report, Africa is seeing increases in its tourism industry, buoyed by a larger and increasingly affluent regional middle class, as well as enhanced advertising programs in Europe and North America. By 2012, there were over 33.8 million tourists visiting sub-Saharan Africa, generating n income of over $36 billion. Overall, it added 2.8 percentage points to Africas GDP, the report notes. But the numbers paint a broader picture of how the wealth generated from sustained tourism can help create a more balanced framework for long-term economic growth and development outcomes. For example, Thailand went from being an obscure off-the-map location in the late 1990s to now being one of the top

tourist destinations worldwide. Indeed, Bangkok now outranks New York City, London and Paris as the most desirable tourist destination for all world travelers, according to a 2013 UN World Tourism Report. There is no argument that tourism has contributed enormously to Thailands development. Though other factors come into play, including the nature and dynamics of Southeast Asias economic structures, tourism has had an integral part in building a more vibrant and economically active middle class. This process is the ideal case-study for building a tourism infrastructure in Africa that will accompany the regions industrial and agricultural growth. Most importantly, as the report notes, tourism provides the possibility of economic development that will positively impact broader sections of society, not just specific industries. Challenges remain, however. Many regions of sub-Saharan Africa are out of reach to the tourism industry for varying reasons, including political instability, corruption and weak infrastructure. A long-term plan must be established at the national level as well as regional level in order to boost the possibility of sustainable tourism growth, the report concludes.