The efforts to improve the tourism sector in Plateau State have received a boost as the State Governor, Simon Lalong has concluded plan to acquire two Rhinos from Kenya to increase the number of animals in the Jos Wild Life Park. It would be recalled that the Governor had been on a peer review tour of Kenya in the last one week to seek areas of collaborations in agriculture, tourism, entertainment, human capital development as well as tea and flower production.
When the rains were late this July, Gambians offered up prayers in the country’s mosques and churches for the troubled agricultural sector. Torrential downpours ensued, but they were followed by dark clouds shadowing the second pillar of the Gambian economy – tourism. The news of UK travel company Thomas Cook’s bankruptcy and its immediate cancellation of all flights to the West African nation was met with disbelief by hoteliers, taxi drivers and workers connected with the winter holiday season, which boosts incomes from November to March.
International tourist arrivals grew 4% from January to June 2019, compared to the same period last year, according to the latest UNWTO World Tourism Barometer published ahead of the 23rd World Tourism Organization General Assembly. Growth was led by the Middle East (+8%) and Asia and the Pacific (+6%). International arrivals in Europe grew 4%, while Africa (+3%) and the Americas (+2%) enjoyed more moderate growth.
Philippines is excited to host the UNWTO General Assembly in 2021, primarily to showcase the country’s sustainable tourism programs and actions and secondly, to give importance to the nation’s significant role in world maritime history and to draw highlight to our country’s discovery"
said Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat in a statement Monday.
Strong growth in outbound travel from many source markets around the world fuelled revenues from international tourism to reach a total USD 1.7 trillion. This accounts for 29% of global service exports and 7% of overall exports of goods and services. These figures consolidate international tourism among the top five economic sectors in the world, behind chemical manufacturing and the fuel industry but ahead of the food and automotive industries.
By 2030 consumer spending on tourism, hospitality, and recreation in Africa is projected to reach nearly $261.77 billion per year—this represents a near 53 percent increase over the $137.87 billion generated by tourism in 2015.
The Brookings Institute’s Africa Growth Initiative recently highlighted this promising information along with the increasingly important role the tourism industry is playing in the global economy. According to the report, world tourism contributes five percent of gross domestic product, 30 percent of service exports, and 235 million jobs world-wide.
Projected growth in tourism traffic into Africa has exposed the need for regional integration that will assist to effectively position African products on the international market.
This is the sentiment agreed by African nations who participated at the International Tourism Bourse (ITB) in Berlin, Germany.
Africa is pushing to maximise its visibility on the international arena and events such as the ITB provide a critical plinth to effectively market the continent’s products.
The number of international tourist arrivals rose by 6 percent last year to 1.4 billion, according to an estimate published Monday by the World Tourism Organization.
The increase was driven by travel to southern Europe, the Middle East and Africa, said the Madrid-based UN body, citing economic growth and technological advances as boosting factors.
Although arrivals to the Americas grew only by a modest three percent -- four for North America -- Europe, Africa and Asia-Pacific performed strongly, with respective rises of six, seven and six percent.
