Managing Tourism for Economic Development in Africa: Past, Prospects and Policy Implications

Abstract

The tourism sector has been identified as a sector that has the capacity of improving the lives of the poor around the world, including African countries, due to its labour absorbing potential. Infrastructure such as road and air transportations are major catalysts for tourism development. African countries that were settler societies are therefore expected to experience higher growth in tourist arrivals. The prospect in tourism is observed to be driven by the quest by national governments to effectively put their natural endowments to use, including historical sites, beaches and wildlife reservation areas, with a view to achieving the desired national development. Therefore, the future of tourism development in Africa depends on the commitment of governments to design and implement appropriate policies that will improve the competitiveness of the tourist destination in Africa.