Travel/Tourism
Is Africa’s Travel and Tourism Industry Properly Marketed
By Rachel Irvine
When it comes to boosting Africa’s economic growth, tourism is among the lowest of low-hanging fruit. The continent is home to some of the most spectacular landscapes on the planet, offers unparalleled wildlife experiences, and has an incredibly diverse array of cultures and heritages. You could spend a lifetime exploring it and still encounter new things every day.
Building up a tourism industry also means bringing in foreign currency, helping to stabilise economies and reduce the reliance on other export sectors. That’s to say nothing of the many direct and indirect jobs it creates, which are so desperately needed in countries across the continent.
Of course, many African countries have recognised the potential of tourism and have mature tourism industries which contribute significantly to their economies. According to Statista, tourism added approximately $182.6 billion to Africa’s overall gross domestic product (GDP). But the sector could be much bigger too. According to a report by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), in collaboration with VFS Global, the African Travel & Tourism sector could bring in an additional $168 billion to the continent’s economy and create over 18 million new jobs over the next decade. Effective marketing and communication will be critical to its ability to do so.
Growing competitiveness in global tourism
On the face of it, that might sound strange. Those of us who know the continent and who have experienced even a fraction of what it has to offer are already sold on it. A part of us might even believe that the continent should sell itself.
But for many of the world’s biggest travel markets, travelling to Africa requires at least one long-haul flight, if not more. That means people have to spend significant amounts of time and money to get there. While at the extreme end of things, a direct flight from New York to Cape Town means spending close to 15 hours in the air, for instance.
That means even countries with well-established tourism sectors must work hard to keep people coming back. Those with emerging tourist industries, meanwhile, must work even harder to entice visitors in the first place. Crucially, African countries are having to put this work in at a time when the global tourism space is more competitive than ever.
Countries that weren’t previously thought of as tourism hotspots and which are much closer to key markets have become seriously competitive players in recent years. Montenegro, for example, saw a 7% year-on-year increase in tourist visits in June, following a 5.1% increase the month before. It also happens that Londoners can reach its spectacular coastline with little more than a three-hour flight.
The right marketing matters
If African countries are to be competitive in that kind of landscape, it’s therefore critical that they market themselves effectively. That means telling the right kind of stories to the right kinds of people, on the right channels, at the right time.
But it also means recognising that today’s travellers and their needs are more diverse than ever. Trying to sell your country purely on stunning sunsets over the savannah or unspoiled, sandy beaches just isn’t going to cut it anymore. Make no mistake, those kinds of things are still important drawcards, but for country tourism boards in particular, appealing to urban sophisticates and foodies is just as important as appealing to nature lovers and adventurers.
While specific destinations can afford to be a little more focused, they shouldn’t shy away from demonstrating their diversity. How could a Cape Town hotel or Kenyan lodge, for instance, convince families that there is as much to attract their 17-year-old thrill-seeker son as there is for their more culturally inclined 75-year-old grandmother? How can they appeal to group, solo, and family travellers simultaneously? And what about the business travellers who increasingly tack on a few days of leisure to their travels?
The right partners matter
The key to getting that diverse appeal right is identifying and engaging with the right marketing partners. That means finding partners that understand which traveller archetypes you’re most likely to appeal to and how to reach them. But it also means finding partners that understand and have feet on the ground in your most lucrative target markets.
These partners should be able to tell your ever-evolving story in ways that mean you’re not just an option but somewhere they yearn to visit, high up at the top of their bucket list. They should demonstrate that they can evolve with you and take the strategic lead wherever necessary.
Of course, there are other things – such as improvements in infrastructure, visa facilitation, and intra-African flights – which would all make a tangible positive impact on Africa’s tourism sector. But the best way to get action on those things is to build up demand and nothing creates demand like effective marketing.
Rachel Irvine is the CEO of Irvine Partners
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
In a move aimed at improving passenger clearance, compliance and customs operations, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has introduced the Simplified Customs Advanced Declaration System (SCADS).
This platform was launched at the International Wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, on Monday, May 18, 2026.
This initiative will simplify baggage declaration for inbound international passengers and reduce manual bottlenecks, improve transparency in revenue assessment and enhance operational efficiency at Nigeria’s international airports.
It allows passengers to declare items before arrival, thereby reducing clearance time while improving compliance and operational integrity.
The introduction of this scheme became necessary following operational challenges encountered on the Service’s previous passenger declaration platform earlier this year, and rather than allow the setbacks to slow operations, customs chose to develop a stronger and more efficient alternative.
“When the earlier platform experienced operational challenges, we chose not to see it as a setback. We saw it as an opportunity to build something better, stronger and more efficient.
“For passengers, this system creates the opportunity for advance declaration before arrival. It means faster clearance, easier compliance and smoother movement through our airports,” the Deputy Comptroller-General of Customs in charge of ICT/Modernisation, Ms Oluyomi Adebakin, said yesterday.
She noted that the system will eliminate subjective revenue assessment by ensuring that duties are automatically generated based on declared items, their quantities, and their actual values.
“When we talk about revenue collection, it is not about collecting more or less. It is about collecting the right revenue. With this system, assessment will now be more objective, accurate and driven by data,” she stated.
Earlier, the Customs Area Controller for FCT Area Command, Comptroller Victoria Alibo, described the selection of the command for the pilot phase as a vote of confidence in its operational capacity.
According to her, the new platform integrates passenger baggage and e-commerce declarations into a single digital framework designed to support global Customs best practices.
“SCADS is designed to simplify declarations, reduce clearance time, eliminate manual bottlenecks and align our operations with international standards,” Ms Alibo said, adding that the pilot phase will run for five days, from Monday, May 18, to Friday, May 22, 2026, during which officers will evaluate the system in a live environment ahead of nationwide deployment.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The price of aviation fuel, also known as Jet A1, has been reduced by Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals to N1,650 per litre from N1,750 per litre.
The company, in a statement, said this price slash was done to ease cost pressures on airlines and ensure an uninterrupted fuel supply across the country.
This is in addition to a 30-day interest-free credit facility backed by bank guarantees (BG) for marketers and airline operators and a shift from a dollar-denominated pricing structure to a naira-based model.
The private refiner also stated that these interventions come amid growing concerns over the rising operational costs faced by domestic carriers, with aviation fuel accounting for a significant portion of airline expenses.
Industry stakeholders have repeatedly warned that escalating Jet A1 prices were placing severe financial strain on operators and threatening the sustainability of flight operations.
The refinery’s decision is expected to provide relief to airline operators by lowering fuel procurement costs, improving operational stability, and supporting efforts to moderate airfares.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has secured a final forfeiture order for a Hawker private Jet 125 before Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court, Maitama, Abuja, over its links to fraud, corruption, and money laundering in relation to the Maiduguri Emergency Power Project (MEPP).
The aircraft, with model number 800XP, serial number 258553 and registration number 5N-AMK, was forfeited following an application by the EFCC.
Justice Nwite, ruling on the application, held that no sufficient cause was shown by Valiente Jet Limited, a company owned by Mr Abdulsalam Kachallah, an interested party, why the aircraft should not be finally forfeited to the Federal Government.
“The interested party has not demonstrated with evidence the lawful origin of the funds used to purchase the aircraft,” the judge held, stressing that the disguised manner through which the aircraft was acquired using the name of a Bureau De Change (BDC) operator who denied knowledge of the nature of the transaction further lent credence to the unlawfulness of the entire transaction.
In a statement by the anti-graft agency, it disclosed that the investigation revealed Mr Kachallah entered into unlawful agreements with China Machinery Engineering Company (CMEC) through shell companies.
The EFCC also alleged that he sold privileged bidding information relating to the project in exchange for financial inducements.
“The investigation further showed that CMEC was subsequently awarded three contracts under the project valued at $52,120,172 (Fifty Two Million One Hundred and Twenty Thousand, One Hundred and Seventy Two Dollars) and ₦20,213,956,953 (Twenty Billion, Two Hundred and Thirteen Million, Nine Hundred and Fifty Six Thousand, Nine Hundred and Fifty Three Naira),” it said.
The EFCC revealed that part of the contract funds was routed through Afuwa Integrated Services Limited, a Bureau De Change operator, under the false claim that the company was subcontracted by CMEC.
“CMEC transferred the sum of $2,070,000 (Two Million, Seventy Thousand Dollars) into the Stanbic IBTC Bank account of Afuwa Integrated Services Limited on Kachallah’s instruction,” it further revealed.
It disclosed that forged invoices were prepared in the name of Afuwa Integrated Services Limited to falsely portray that legitimate services had been rendered to CMEC.
“The funds were thereafter transferred to a Brazilian account for the purchase of the aircraft from a Brazilian company,” the EFCC revealed.
-
Feature/OPED6 years agoDavos was Different this year
-
Travel/Tourism10 years ago
Lagos Seals Western Lodge Hotel In Ikorodu
-
Showbiz3 years agoEstranged Lover Releases Videos of Empress Njamah Bathing
-
Banking8 years agoSort Codes of GTBank Branches in Nigeria
-
Economy3 years agoSubsidy Removal: CNG at N130 Per Litre Cheaper Than Petrol—IPMAN
-
Banking3 years agoSort Codes of UBA Branches in Nigeria
-
Banking3 years agoFirst Bank Announces Planned Downtime
-
Sports3 years agoHighest Paid Nigerian Footballer – How Much Do Nigerian Footballers Earn