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By Remie OTIENO
Tourism and Wildlife Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Miano has called for enhanced collaboration between Africa countries and the Americas to boost tourism investment, innovation, and capacity building following the inaugural Africa & Americas Summit held in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.
The landmark event brought together key stakeholders from both continents to explore shared challenges and opportunities in developing sustainable and competitive tourism sectors.
High-level discussions focused on building strategic partnerships, promoting investment, fostering innovation, enhancing capacity, and leveraging the role of culture and history.
In her remarks, CS Miano noted the growing imperative to forge multifaceted linkages that will catalyze transformative growth in tourism, with connectivity emerging as a key driver of increased cooperation.
“The true value of such summits lies in their ability to bridge divides and unlock new synergies. There are immense areas of opportunity, especially in enhancing air connectivity through establishing more direct air routes across major cities in Africa and the Americas, supported by a visa-free regime in which Kenya had led. This would significantly boost people-to-people exchanges and unlock new tourism opportunities,” Miano stated.
“Kenya has already made strides in this direction, and we are keen to explore partnerships that can expand travel corridors between our regions.”
The CS also highlighted the potential for cruise line companies in the Americas to explore itinerating more frequently and recommending Africa’s ports of call along Africa’s Indian Ocean coast, such as Mombasa, which offers unique experiences combining beach, wildlife, culture, and history.
“Mombasa stands out as the only port on the Indian Ocean coast that provides both beach and wildlife experiences, complemented by rich cultural offerings like the UNESCO World Heritage site of Fort Jesus, golf, and authentic Swahili cuisine.
“We invite cruise lines to tap into these diverse attractions and help showcase Africa’s untapped potential,” Miano remarked.
Beyond connectivity, the summit underscored the need for strategic investment in the tourism sector, which currently accounts for only 5% of foreign direct investment (FDI) in both regions, despite generating $5.6 billion (approximately Kshs. 724.2 billion) in revenue.
Capacity building emerged as another key priority, with discussions focusing on enhancing vocational training, establishing tourism academies, and introducing new educational programs that equip the workforce with the skills to meet evolving visitor demands.
Fostering innovation and strengthening the role of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in driving competitiveness and sustainability was also a central theme.
CS Miano further emphasized the importance of integrating culture, history, gastronomy, handicrafts, and local artistry into tourism offerings, recognizing their potential to add value, foster authenticity, and promote the creative economy.
In his keynote address, the Secretary General of the UN Tourism Zurab Pololikashvili reiterated the need for more investment in tourism infrastructure and education in both regions.
“While the world decreases in foreign investment thanks to geopolitical tensions, Latin America historically grows its flows by 14% and Africa by 4%. They share something in common: more and more Latinos are investing in Latin America and more Africans in Africa,” he stated.
Pololikashvili observed that over 60% of tourism investment in both regions goes into hotel construction, accounting for just 5% of total global investment.
“We need more funds channeled into tourism infrastructure. UN Tourism is committed to working with countries to strengthen investment incentives and promote foreign capital inflows, with education as a top priority to create skilled workforces,” he affirmed.
The Summit comes on the heels of Africa welcoming 7% more tourists in the seven months to July 2024 compared to a similar period in 2019. The Americas hit 97% of pre-pandemic arrivals for a similar period, underscoring both regions’ resilience and growth potential.
Kenya’s participation at the forum is anchored on its leadership capacity as Chair of the UN Tourism Committee on Tourism & Competitiveness as well as being a member of the Budgets and Programmes and Sustainability Committees.
The Kenyan delegation at the Summit was headed by Patrick Bucha and Wausi Walya, Deputy Director of Public Relations and Corporate Communications at the Kenya Tourism Board (KTB), who serves as the focal point for the Committee on Tourism Competitiveness.