Experts say the future of African tourism is culture

As the African continent sees a growth in cultural tourism, experts in the sector say countries in Africa should leverage their stories to attract more travellers.

Cultural tourism has been dubbed one of the fast-growing sectors in the industry with people travelling or extending their stay in the country to explore the culture.

South Africa is hosting the 19th edition of Meetings Africa, a three-day annual trade show attracting delegates, exhibitors and industry leaders globally into the country, providing a platform for exhibitors to showcase their offerings to international and local buyers.

Speaking during a panel discussion at the Sandton Convention Centre on Monday, Kamil Abdul-Karrim, MD of Pam Golding tourism and hospitality said after the Covid-19 pandemic, more people are looking for new experiences, with art and science as well as popular culture, the leading reasons for extended stays after business travel.

“While people will come for work purposes, many will extend their stays for five to ten days to experience the culture. Because there is an interest, we need to start moving in a different direction and start presenting our culture, creating cultural and historical events that will attract people to our continent.”

Globally, about 40% of all tourists are culture and heritage tourists, with 15% of Africa’s inbound tourists travelling to the continent for to see heritage sites and learn the history of different tribes.

“The culture aspect is particularly attractive to the European and North American markets, with large numbers of African Americans wanting to learn about where they come from,” he said.

South African Tourism’s chief marketing officer, Thembisile Sehloho, said part of the issue was that marketers who present Africa to the world have been shy to market the continent as is.

“We have always been shy to tell our stories as they are, we are positioned to provide all the things that are enticing to a traveller. It’s time to tap into this underutilised market.”

She added that there were lessons to be learnt from countries such as Morocco, where cultural diversity is the main driver of tourism.

With the country’s goal of attracting 15-million international arrivals in South Africa by 2030, Sehloho said leveraging the culture and arts aspect would drive up the number of visitors.

South Africa welcomed 8.92-million international arrivals between January and December 2024, showing a 5% increase in the number of overseas visitors. According to SA Tourism, Africa continued to drive the majority of arrivals, contributing 76% of all tourists.

There was also a steady increase in the number of visitors from the Americas.

In a statement, tourism minister Patricia de Lille said the US remained the top market while direct air connectivity from Brazil has led to a 94% increase in travellers from that market.

“It’s time for us to take advantage of all that we have and ensure that we can grow the tourism sector as much as possible,” said Sehloho.

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