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FINAL REPORT FROM THE
AFRICA -ASIA SUMMIT
By Dr. Wolfgang Thome
On the last day of the proceedings experts from
the participating governments agreed on the wording
of the respective policy recommendations for
sustainable development and the promotion of
tourism in Africa. This column has received a copy
during the press conference rounding up the summit,
which was hailed by participants from Asia and
Africa as a sound success. The Ugandan organizers
from the Ministry of Tourism, Trade and Industry
and the Uganda Tourist Board were praised for their
fine preparations and the logistical support during
the summit, held at the Speke Resort and Conference
Centre in Munyonyo / Kampala.
(Quote) 'PARTICIPANTS from 20 African
countries and 6 Asian countries including
representatives of the private and public sector
met in Kampala / Uganda for the Fifth Africa- Asia
Business Forum, AABF V &endash; from the 15th to
17th of June 2009 in order to discuss, within the
context of the Fourth Tokyo International
Conference on African Development (TICAD IV)
Yokohama Action Plan, the issues and challenges
currently confronting the tourism industry across
the continent of Africa, and to learn from the
experiences of partner countries and organizations,
how to successfully plan, develop and market
tourism products and overcome constraints including
health and safety. They took note of specific
actions to be pursued under the TICAD IV Yokohama
Action Plan, including the need to:
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Encourage and assist African countries' efforts to
address security, hospitality management,
infrastructure and environmental constraints to
tourism development, including through tourism
training programmes;
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Support tourism operators to increase
familiarisation with African destinations and to
improve knowledge of the continent and its tourist
attractions;
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Take advantage of the opportunities provided by the
2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa;
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Support long term tourism promotion through events
such as travel fairs
In this context, and in an effort to provide
impetus to the implementation of these activities,
the participants made the following policy
recommendations, emphasising the importance of
uniting and harmonizing all stakeholders under
public-private partnerships in a holistic
manner:
1. There should be concentrated focus on the
development and promotion of tourism from Asian
countries, including Japan, to Africa for the 2010
FIFA World Cup and beyond;
2. A targeted marketing strategy should be
identified based on analysis of trends, profile and
orientation of potential inbound travellers to
Africa;
3. Japan International Cooperation Agency- JICA,
relevant international organizations such as the UN
World Tourism Organization and partners including
within the African continent should support
programmes to build African capacity, at
destination, national and regional level, with
respect to tourism development. This would include
the implementation of master plan studies and
feasibility studies on various aspects of tourism,
dispatch of tourism development experts and
language instructors, mounting of tourism promotion
seminars and workshops and production and
distribution of educational and awareness raising
materials. The 'One Village One Product' initiative
promoted under cooperation by Japan External Trade
Organization (JETRO) and JICA should be expanded
further for the development and overseas marketing
of local products by communities;
4. The private sector of Japan and other Asian
countries are encouraged to make use of the various
funding facilities available under the Yokohama
Action Plan, and other cooperation programmes, to
carry out programmes / projects / activities aimed
at promoting tourism as an element of boosting
economic growth while enabling conservation and
environmental protection in Africa;
5. FDI in the African tourism industry should be
seriously promoted. The specific focus of such
investment should be on the building of
international standard hotels and lodges,
restaurants, airline services and value addition to
African commodities, etc as well as an enabling
environment in terms of policy, legal and
regulatory frameworks. Relevant financial
institutions in both Africa and Asia, including the
Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC),
African Development Bank and Africa regional
development banks, and private bank, should
actively disseminate information about their
applicable facilities to promote such
investment;
6. Africa countries with the support of TICAD
co-organizers and other partners should make
collective efforts to strengthen regional
capacities of all five sub-regional of the
continent so that they can promote in Japan and
other Asian countries their tourist attractions in
the region;
7. The increase of international air services,
including charter services, directly between Asian
airports, especially those in Japan, and Africa
should be encouraged with the view to capturing the
opportunities provided by the 2010 FIFA World
Cup;
8. Further reconnaissance missions to African
countries should be organized preferably before the
2010 FIFA World Cup in order to tap into the
tourism potential and to identify new tourist
destinations likely to be of interest or to appeal
to Japanese and other Asian tourists;
9. The media from Asia, especially TV
broadcasters and popular magazines should be
encouraged to increase coverage of Africa - with
special focus on tourism destinations, attractions,
UNESCO World Heritage Sites etc. In this regard
further efforts should also be made by the African
side to promote greater awareness of the
continent's many tourism attractions and improve
the image of Africa;
10. Security issues related to the sustainable
development and promotion of tourism in Africa
should be given utmost attention by all relevant
stakeholders. Travel information on African
countries issued by the governments of Japan and
other Asian countries participating in the AABF V
could take into account the efforts by African
countries to promote tourism in the
respective country, while ensuring the safety of
travellers;
TICAD co-organizers will monitor the progress of
the above mentioned activities and incorporate it
into the tourism section of annual progress reports
on the implementation of the Yokohama Action Plan
which will be presented at Annual TICAD Ministerial
Follow Up meetings.' (Unquote)
The participating governments ended the AABF
Summit in Munyonyo / Kampala by signing various
MoU's while the private sector participants
actively cooperated in their own dedicated ending
session to build partnerships spanning not just
Africa but as far as the Asian countries.
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Report
Following the Fifth
Africa-Asia Business Forum