Experts Forecast: African Tourism Priorities for 2024

As we bid farewell to 2023 with a symphony of fireworks and festive revelry, the spotlight shines on tourism, proving that it’s not just an industry but a resilient force on the rise.

In 2023, the tourism industry witnessed remarkable growth. Globally, it showcased an impressive resurgence, reclaiming 90 percent of pre-Covid levels by the year’s end.

Also, at the global level, the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) opened new offices in Africa and the Americas, apart from the ones opened earlier in Saudi Arabia and in Nara, Japan.

On the African continent, tourism gained momentum in 2023, especially with more countries set to adopt visa-free model for other Africans as championed by Rwanda. With its landmark visa announcement for travellers in 2023, Kenya is free to all Africans from this January, Malawi is in the pipeline, Ghana and South Africa have also removed visa barriers to grow tourism and trade. 

In 2024, more countries are expected to follow the positive trend to boost seamless and borderless Africa.

The visa-free African move probably impacted the Africa Visa Openness Report 2023. The report, published by the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the African Union, revealed some laudable policies with more countries opening doors to more Africans.

It highlighted fruitful efforts made at eliminating the hassle of travelling for Africans and thereby enabling the “Africa we Want Agenda”.

Again, African Tourism, for the first time, witnessed the rise of women Ministers of Tourism. Nigeria, Zimbabwe, and Sierra Leone all have women Ministers of Tourism. The trend is expected to continue in 2024. But as has been the case in all spheres, resolutions will be the talking point as we plan for the year.

As a public-private venture, we solicited the opinions of experts, policy leaders, and media about how Africa’s tourism sector should take in 2024.