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| A giraffe at the Nile River |
Arit John a congress reporter for Bloomberg wouldn’t have put it better than the quote above where she briefly shows part of the problem why Africa is not considered as a tourist destination. One of which is making sweeping generalizations about the continent and painting it in bad light as one plagued by conflicts, ravaged by disease and broken dreams. What does Africa have to offer in terms of tourism? Africa is the second largest continent in the world after Asia and one of the most misunderstood and arguably the most underrated of all continents. Comprising 54 countries, in addition to diversity, rich culture and traditions this continent offers magnificent landscapes, as well as precious and diverse wildlife in their natural habitat.
Beryl Markham, a British-born Kenyan aviator and adventurer and the first woman to fly solo, non-stop across the Atlantic from east to west believed, “Africa is mystic; it is wild; it is a sweltering inferno; it is a photographer's paradise, a hunter's Valhalla, an escapist's Utopia. It is what you will, and it withstands all interpretations. It is the last vestige of a dead world or the cradle of a shiny new one. To a lot of people, as to myself, it is just 'home'.” But how do you begin to describe Africa’s magnificent landscapes and unforgettable wildlife to someone who has never visited the continent?
A large percentage of the people who don’t include Africa in their travel itinerary believe that the continent offers mediocre or substandard travel destinations and this common mistake and assumptions is portrayed in the media and pop culture. In support of this contrasting view that Africa has nothing to offer in terms of tourism, TripAdvisor’s 2018 Awards1 which uses an algorithm based on the quantity and quality of reviews and ratings by travelers in destinations worldwide gathered over a 12-month period had very few African cities mentioned in their report. If there are less people traveling to Africa, wouldn’t the number of reviews be inadequate to give a fair judgement compared to other destinations in other continents? Clearly with less people traveling to the continent this would translate to fewer reviews being shared with travel blogs and the media at large.
During lunch break at my workplace, I asked my colleagues why African destinations never feature as part of their travel destinations, “there’s Ebola”, “there are wars everywhere”, “corruption is rampant in Africa”, these were some of the reasons given. These typical generalizations are hurting tourism in Africa, all of the 54 countries are governed differently, they all have different people and cultures, different attractions as well as different economies which goes to prove that they all have different pleasures to offer in terms of culture. Africa has the largest collection of animals in their natural habitat and while you may find similar animals in some of the countries, each country provides a totally different experience.
Fig. 1 - Leopards and Giraffes in the Maasai Mara, Kenya
The “Big Five” comprising of the elephant, buffalo, rhino, lion and leopard can be viewed in Kruger National Park in South Africa or the Serengeti in Tanzania or Maasai Mara in Kenya, countries in East Africa. The Serengeti migration, one of the natural “Wonders of the World” can be found in this region, and this is the thrilling and breathtaking natural events where wildebeests, antelopes, zebras and other animals migrate in their millions from Serengeti in Tanzania to Maasai Mara in Kenya and vice versa in search of pasture. Figure 1 shows leopards and giraffes in their natural habitat in Maasai Mara, Kenya and they are a big tourist attraction. In no other continent can you view the “Big Five” in their natural habitat other than Africa. In addition to these great beasts you can also view the surfing hippos in Gabon, a country in West Africa or the epic battles between the predator and prey in the Okavango Delta in Botswana, a country in South of Africa. The Delta also known as “the jewel of the Kalahari”, was named as one of the Seven Natural Wonders of Africa2 and it also became the 1000th site to be officially inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List3.
Looking for more reasons to visit this diverse continent? The North of Africa that includes Egypt, Sudan and Eritrea has the Red Sea Reef which stretches 1,240 miles along the coast and has more than 1,100 species of fish and close to 10% of these are exclusive to this reef. Did you know there are only remains two Northern White Rhinos and they are female? Chances are this would be the last we are seeing of this species, this is after the last surviving male Northern White Rhino died at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya. Birds are not be left out, according to the South African Journal of Science4, they analyzed avian diversity in all continents and Africa had the largest in terms of diversity beyond the species level. Lake Nakuru in Kenya, East Africa has the largest group of flamingos in the world where a single colony has more than 1 million members, figure 2 below gives a graphical representation of this natural phenomenon.
Fig. 2 - Millions of flamingos at the Lake Nakuru National Park, Kenya
This article wouldn’t be complete if I didn’t mention the largest primate, the gorillas which can be found in Uganda and Rwanda. When you think of seeing the tallest animal, the fastest animal, the largest primate, the largest reptile in their natural environments, make your way to Africa. No other continent offers this diversity and hence tourism is one of the highest income earners for some countries in this region.
Most continents have natural landscapes that they can boast of, yet most travel agents and media never take a moment to feature what Africa has to offer. Known as the “Smoke that Thunders”, Victoria Falls at the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe is mesmerizing and was voted as one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World2. The falls are 1.7km-wide with a volume of between 20,000 and 700,000 cubic metres of water per minute falling down a vertical drop of 100m and are considered the largest waterfalls in the world. The Nile River which covers eleven countries in Africa is considered to be the longest river in the world and drains into the Mediterranean Sea is also an attraction to behold. Ancient Egypt a great history of mankind couldn’t have existed without this majestic river. According to an overview of the physical geography of Africa, the continent has a wide range of mountains that provide great treks and sights to behold. From the snowcapped Mount Kenya in Kenya, to the Table Mountains in South Africa, Mount Oku in Cameroon, West Africa, Jabel Marra a long line of volcanic peaks in Sudan, the Atlas Mountains a range of mountains in Maghreb which stretches across three countries in North Africa to Mount Kilimanjaro (see figure 3) a dormant volcano rising up to 19,341 feet making it the highest mountain in the continent.
Fig. 3 - A herd of elephants seen at the base of Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania
Do you know the oldest desert in the world dating back 80 million years is in this continent? This is in Namibia to the South of the continent and this country is a place of contrasting landscapes, it also boasts the largest known meteorite. Not all beaches are created equal and when you think of a beach to visit and relax you’d want the white pristine uncrowded beaches. The “Thrillist” a travel blog reviewed “the 20 most beautiful beaches in the world” where only La Digue in Seychelles an island in Africa featured the rest were from different countries in other continents.
According to “Culture Trip” a popular travel blog, “Africa is home to some of the world’s most stunning beaches and islands, each with unique and fascinating stories, cultures, natural landscapes, and sights of interest.” Most of the beaches dotting the coastlines of many countries in this continent are unexplored and hence undiscovered and they offer romantic getaways, abundant displays of marine life and endless possibilities when it comes to activities. Camps Bay in Cape Town South Africa, see below, is one of the picturesque and most popular beaches offering privacy among the boulders and cool waters of the Indian Ocean as well as views where you can capture spectacular sunsets.
Fig. 4 Camps Bay in Cape Town, South Africa
The Western media is to blame for painting a one-dimensional portrait of Africa when it comes to traveling destination and thereby giving travelers and travel agents a misconstrued opinion and attitude regarding this beautiful continent. Sadly, this image is what’s used to choose the next travel destination by most travelers and for travel agents to refer their clients and most of these people won’t travel to Africa based on this belief. What role can the media in Africa, their governments and its people do to create awareness and reverse this trend?
Africa changes you forever, like nowhere on earth. Once you have been there, you will never be the same. But how do you begin to describe its magic to someone who has never felt it? How can you explain the fascination of this vast, dusty continent, whose oldest roads are elephant paths? Could it be because Africa is the place of all our beginnings, the cradle of mankind, where our species first stood upright on the savannas of long ago? – Brian Jackman, an award-winning journalist and author
What happened to the explorers of this world who wouldn’t depend on reviews and opinions to visit a place? As Brian Jackman states above, most of the visitors to this continent have left with great memories and truly mesmerized by the unparalleled beauty and there’s no other way to understand this feeling than planning a visit of your own. African people need to share their diversity story and be louder than the idea of Africa that’s out there which overshadows the facts. With the power of social media which can be so real and raw, the travelers coming to Africa need to share their experiences and paint a different image in order to promote and gain public support when it comes to the continent’s destinations and what they have to offer. This will eventually trigger a change in travel habits and bring a sort of balance in the world of travel and tourism in general as well as remove some of the stereotypes that the media and people hold.
Works Cited
1TripAdvisor’s 2018 Awards - https://www.tripadvisor.com/TravelersChoice-Destinations
2Seven Natural Wonders of Africa - http://sevennaturalwonders.org/index_/wonders-by-continent/africa/
3UNESCO World Heritage. "World Heritage List reaches 1000 sites with inscription of Okavango Delta in Botswana". whc.unesco.org. Retrieved 4 April 2018
4South African Journal of Science, “Beyond just species: Is Africa the most taxonomically diverse bird continent?” On-line version ISSN 1996-7489, Print version ISSN 0038-2353, S. Afr. j. sci. vol.109 n.5-6 Pretoria Jan. 2013
Lonely Planet, “Welcome to Africa.” - https://www.lonelyplanet.com/africa
Encyclopedia Britannica – “Africa.” - https://www.britannica.com/place/Africa
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