By Simon Nare
President Cyril Ramaphosa has appealed to the continent to use its tourism appeal as a form of global soft power and a mirror to the world to showcase its beauty, heritage and sophisticated cultures, while correcting the negative image of Africa often portrayed by outsiders.
Addressing the Africa Travel Indaba in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, on Tuesday, Ramaphosa said the world’s perception of the continent too often focused on negative issues such as civil wars, disease and political instability, and that the tourism industry should help reshape that image.
“And what we now need to do is to change that narrative and tourism is the influence that we can use. It is the colour that we can put to our continent. It is the shine that we can put into our continent and showcase our continent to the world.
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“Not only showcasing the animals, not only showcasing the mountains, not only showcasing our beautiful deserts but also showcasing the people. People of Africa and also showcasing their capabilities, their knowhow and how well adapt they are, in running things, in organising things, in building things and in making things,” said Ramaphosa.
The president said tourism was a window to the world, but also a mirror through which the continent could look at itself and ask whether its people were living up to the dream of the African continent.
He added that the continent was replete with wonderful endowments and that tourism was visible on the surface, unlike mines and minerals buried underground. Tourism, he said, could showcase the continent’s beauty, sophisticated cultures and rich heritage, where humanity originated.
“Africa as a continent we can use tourism as a global soft power which is where for instance can really wrap up its own image and use that as our soft power to demonstrate that apart from everything else, we have God’s providence continued living gifts which is our natural endowment.
“Tourism shapes the way the world looks at our environment, and too often the world’s narrative about Africa tends to focus on all the negative things. They focus for instance on the wars, poverty, diseases and political instabilities,” he said.
The president said tourism was more than just a sector of the economy, but rather a living expression of who people are.
Ramaphosa said South Africa welcomed 10.5 million international visitors last year, which he described as a clear sign that the world was rediscovering the country with renewed enthusiasm.
He added that it was significant that three-quarters of international arrivals came from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region, signalling that Africans were choosing Africa.
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Ramaphosa said that was why South Africa was working with its neighbours to advance the SADC Tourism UNIVISA, which would enable seamless, borderless travel for tourists across SADC member states.
“We are also working to expand our one-stop border posts and develop cross-border itineraries that showcase the richness of our region. When Africans travel within Africa, we strengthen our economies, deepen our cultural ties and build a more integrated continent,” he said.
The president called for rigorous marketing strategies and tourism packages that would benefit regions. He reminded guests from across the continent that, during his State of the Nation Address earlier this year, he had called on tourism role players to promote unique cultural, historical and natural attractions that reflected the country’s identity.
Ramaphosa said Africa’s Travel Indaba had become one of the most powerful platforms for tourism growth on the continent. Last year, he added, about 10,000 delegates gathered at the same venue in Durban, while more than 1,300 exhibitors showcased the best of African tourism.
The gathering contributed to local economic and social development, and its benefits were felt not only in boardrooms but also in small businesses, township enterprises and the homes of ordinary South Africans.
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The benefits of the Indaba were felt across the country and the continent as new destinations were discovered and new linkages formed, he said.
He added that every conversation at the Indaba, every partnership formed and every idea shared were building blocks of a continent that was rising, confident in its potential and united in its purpose.
“Let us continue to work together – as government, industry, communities and our young people – to ensure that this jewel called tourism continues to shine brightly for generations to come,” he said.
