Africa has always drawn travellers to its fascinating and diverse regions starting from the early explorers, all throughout the darker times of colonisation, and when the last of African nations became independent. From the unspoiled desert of Namibia, picturesque coastal drives in South Africa and untamed wildlife in Kenya, all the way to world-class nightlife in Nigeria, cultural gems in Mali and bustling markets in Ghana, Africa has got it all.
Not too long ago, travelling to and within Africa was reserved to the wealthy and people that didn’t mind rough journeys. Nowadays, the tourism industry caters to backpackers, families, as well as business-, luxury-, niche- and adventure travellers. With intercontinental tourism becoming the norm, sub-Saharan Africa is currently the second fastest growing tourism market globally after the Asia-Pacific region. In 2010 alone, Africa benefited from over $1 trillion from tourism, with this figure to go up exponentially in the coming years. Employment in the tourism industry is also set to gain momentum with infrastructure on the rise and currently above 5% of all jobs in Africa directly or indirectly catering to tourism. The World Travel and Tourism Council is expecting that by 2020, 3.8 million people in Africa will work for, or cater to the tourism sector.
While this is good news to most countries, some regions still struggle to attract tourist, either because of lack of tourism development, political inactivity, civil unrest or high crime rates. Fortunately, as governments realise the massive boost a functioning tourism sector can give an ailing economy, a lot has already been done to improve the access to the tourism market.
Tourism, unlike many other industries, can have a direct impact on the majority of the population by simply thinking outside the box. Even small farms can work to cater eco-tourist by offering tours, selling their produce or offering courses.
What this all offers are unlimited possibilities for individuals with a vision to shape the tourism landscape of their region. With the benefits of the ease of international air travel also comes the challenge of being innovative, competitive and organised. This shows with some neighbouring countries, where one goes from strength to strength, while the other is a touristic blank of the map. Governments have a major responsibility in working to create a tourism-friendly environment, such as to ease entry requirements, decreasing crime and increasing public infrastructure; however, a well-functioning tourism engine needs all parts to run smoothly, and this requires to have highly trained industry leaders that can improve the economy of their entire country by taking informed and sustainable decisions.
With all this in mind, Unicaf University is offering a BA in Hospitality Management that provides the students with all the necessary knowledge, leadership, analytical and communication skills and prepares them to engage successfully in this demanding sector of the economy.
For more information about the degree and Unicaf University, visit http://bit.ly/2zLHTWu
