Harnessing the power of technology to benefit African tourism businesses

Africa’s Internet penetration rate stands squarely at approximately 27 per cent. There is still a lot to be achieved, but this is an opportunity for tourism businesses to harness and benefit.
There are some players, such as travel operators, that are already in the forefront. One of such is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Jumia travel, Mr Paul Midy said his company which is an online hotel booking service of Jumia, is keen on using technology to revolutionise how people travel.

This is for instance through incorporating revenue management systems, which create a smooth booking process for both the customers and hotel partners.
At the just concluded INDABA 2017 travel show in Durban, South Africa,Mr Midy stressed that using technology to connect African nations through tourism would grow the continent’s economy and improve its competitiveness with other global tourist destinations.
“I think that four per cent of money spent in Africa for travel and tourism is spent by Africans. Therefore investors should focus more on the one billion people on the continent and grow domestic tourism,” he said.
Numerous challenges, however, abound: from the high cost of travel in Africa to the difficulties of acquiring visas to travel within the continent. It is for this reason that Midy echoed sentiments by South African President Jacob Zuma, who during his official opening of the INDABA show called upon African governments to ease visa regulations for Africans, “in a bid to create a seamless travel experience and make Africa a destination of choice in the world”.
According to the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), global tourism recorded its seventh successive year of sustained growth since the global financial crisis in 2016.
Each year, over one billion people travel around the world, with world international tourist arrivals, registering an average four per cent growth. Africa enjoyed an eight per cent increase in international tourist arrivals, to reach 58 million in 2016, a double-fold growth rate, with more potential for both tourism and economic development. — maravipost/GB