With 8.5 percent contribution to Africa’s GDP in 2018, travel and tourism has made Africa the second fastest growing tourism region in the worlds, according to the 2019 Jumia Hospitality Report Africa.
The report released recently, which is now in its the 3rd edition, showed that travel and tourism remained one of the key growth drivers of Africa’s economy, contributing 8.5 percent of the GDP in 2018, equivalent to $194.2 billion. According to the report, the growth record placed the continent as the second-fastest growing tourism region in the world, with a growth rate of 5.6 percent, after Asia Pacific and against a 3.9 percent global average growth rate.
“Our focus is to continue showcasing Africa as a continent full of beauty and opportunity. Through this report, we want to help draw attention to the vast potential of the tourism industry, that we believe is an untapped lever of economic growth,” said Estelle Verdier, Jumia’s head of Travel (Travel.jumia.com). She was speaking during the official release of the annual report at the Africa Hotel Investment Forum (AHIF) in Addis Ababa, ahead of the 2019 World Tourism Day.
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Africa received 67 million international tourist arrivals in 2018, to record a +7 percent increase from 63 million arrivals in 2017 and 58 million in 2016. The gradual increase is attributed to the affordability and ease of travel especially within the continent, with spending among domestic travellers accounting for 56 percent as compared to 44 percent international expenditure. Additionally, leisure travel remains an important component of Africa’s tourism industry, taking up a majority 71 percent of the tourist expenditure in 2018.
Verdier noted that the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area ( ACFTA) is expected to further boost domestic travel. “To realize the full potential gains will require cooperation from all industry players. Governments have to be willing to eliminate visa requirements for African nationals traveling to their countries. Ministries and other responsible partner organizations should create campaigns that will promote their local travel destinations and tourism offerings to attract more regional travellers. At Jumia, we will continue to offer diversified products at affordable prices including resident rates for regional travellers booking through our platform.”
