Intra-continental tourism from Africa’s rapidly growing economies and growing middle class is an opportunity begging to be exploited, he says
The free movement of people everywhere in Africa, the easing or dropping of visa requirements and the deregulation of air services will be key in driving the growth of the tourism sector on the continent, tourism minister Derek Hanekom said on Thursday.
In his state of the nation address in February, President Cyril Ramaphosa said that SA was looking to double its international tourist arrivals from 10.5-million to 21-million by 2030. SA has the largest travel and tourism sector in Africa, contributing about R426bn to the local economy in 2018. “We need to work on all countries signing the Single African Air Transport Market, signed by only 23 countries so far. It’s intended to drive down airfares by allowing more airlines to freely access and increase frequency of flights to more countries. We need to be united in our aspiration to build and brand Africa as a continent of successes and opportunity,” he said.
The decision to"open skies" in Africa would translate into greater options for travellers and lower fares. Africa is home to 15% of the world’s population but it accounts for just 3% of the global air service market.
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