Tourism and Wildlife Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Miano has urged for enhanced cooperation between African nations and the Americas to increase tourism investment, innovation, and capacity building.
Her remarks followed the inaugural Africa & Americas Summit, held in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, which brought together key stakeholders from both continents to explore shared challenges and opportunities in developing sustainable and competitive tourism sectors.
The summit focused on fostering strategic partnerships, promoting investment, encouraging innovation, and enhancing capacity, with an emphasis on leveraging culture and history.
In her address, CS Miano emphasized the importance of forging diverse partnerships to drive growth in tourism, identifying connectivity as a key factor in promoting collaboration between the regions.
“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 by establishing more direct air routes between major cities in Africa and the Americas. A visa-free regime, which Kenya has pioneered, would significantly boost people-to-people exchanges and create new tourism opportunities,” Miano stated.
She added that Kenya is keen on expanding travel corridors between the two regions.
Miano also highlighted the potential for cruise lines based in the Americas to increase their itineraries along Africa’s Indian Ocean coast, particularly in Mombasa, which offers a unique combination of beach, wildlife, culture, and history.
“Mombasa is the only port on the Indian Ocean coast that provides both beach and wildlife experiences, along with rich cultural heritage, such as the UNESCO World Heritage site Fort Jesus, golf courses, and authentic Swahili cuisine. We invite cruise lines to explore these attractions and help showcase Africa’s untapped tourism potential,” she said.
The summit also underscored the need for increased investment in the tourism sector, which currently represents only 5% of foreign direct investment (FDI) in both regions, despite generating $5.6 billion (Ksh 724.2 billion) in revenue.
Capacity building emerged as a key priority, with discussions focusing on vocational training, tourism academies, and educational programs to equip the workforce with the skills necessary to meet evolving visitor expectations.
Innovation and strengthening small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to drive competitiveness and sustainability were also central themes.
CS Miano stressed the importance of incorporating 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, UN World Tourism Organization Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili emphasized the need for greater investment in tourism infrastructure and education in both regions.
He highlighted that despite global decreases in foreign investment due to geopolitical tensions, Latin America and Africa saw growth in investment flows—14% and 4%, respectively—driven by intra-regional investment.
Pololikashvili pointed out that over 60% of tourism investment in both regions is focused on hotel construction, which accounts for only 5% of global investment.
He called for more investment in tourism infrastructure, affirming UN Tourism’s commitment to working with countries to enhance investment incentives and attract foreign capital, with education as a top priority to build a skilled workforce.
The summit follows a period of growth for both regions, with Africa welcoming 7% more tourists in the first seven months of 2024 compared to the same period in 2019, and the Americas reaching 97% of pre-pandemic tourist arrivals.
These figures underscore the resilience and growth potential of both regions.
Kenya’s involvement in the summit was underscored by its leadership role as Chair of the UN Tourism Committee on Tourism & Competitiveness, as well as its membership in the Budgets and Programmes and Sustainability Committees.
The Kenyan delegation was led by Dr. Patrick Bucha and Ms. Wausi Walya, Deputy Director of Public Relations and Corporate Communications at the Kenya Tourism Board (KTB), who also serves as the focal point for the Committee on Tourism Competitiveness.
