African American Market Introduction David J. Saunders articles • African American Market • Ambassadors of Tourism • USA and Africa • Franchising for Africans How influential is the African American Market? (comment) Why America Needs Africa? (comment) Africa Travel Map

David J. Saunders (Part Two)

“Will Africa become the tourism destination
of the future for African-American travelers
and investors?”..

First and foremost, with the unprecedented passage of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), African-Americans have a tremendous opportunity to take advantage of the positive trends of America's commitment to assist African countries to continue to successfully matriculate into the emerging global marketplace by generating economic opportunities through expanded trade and investment initiatives. AGOA will hopefully remove barriers to free trade and economic opportunity for Africans working hard to catch up to the global economy and for African-Americans who want to work with them. African-Americans must also realize that sub-Saharan Africa represents a very promising economic region of the world in which they can have a strategic marketing advantage. Specifically, this historic piece of legislation should be targeted by the travel and tourism industry with direct involvement and participation by more African-Americans.

According to recent travel and tourism industry trends a new traveler to the Continent of Africa is emerging -- as a more culturally focused tourist -- one who uses their vacation to reflect upon the awareness of the environment, an interest in spiritual exploration and a commitment to social values through their participation in the African experience."

A bridge through investment
Secondly, in order to be able to benefit from this unique situation, African-Americans must be willing to investigate the multitude of investment , possibilities by becoming more educated about the potential types of tourism attractions on the African Continent and then actually doing the research to determine the specific areas where they should consider investing their money. According to industry experts, there are three major areas of tourist trends that will be greatly marketed in the future for Africa - adventure travel, ecotourism and cultural heritage tours.

Attractions aplenty
The African Continent possesses some of the greatest deserts, beaches, tropical rain forests, and mountain ranges in the world and beckons the adventure tourist to come visit, explore and enjoy. According to the World Tourism Organization, the fastest growing trend in tourism in the world is adventure travel, although this description can cover a wide variety of interests. Most adventure tourism activities are however not for the timid and are specifically aimed at those tourists who wish to break away from stereotypical vacations. Classic examples of this range from a climbing trek up Mount Kilimanjaro, which is popular excursion for serious visitors to Tanzania to the more recent airborne adventure of bungee jumping from Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe!

Ecotourism and the Great Outdoors
With regard to the nature lover, there are also the awesome natural environments with the widest range of animals and plant life found on the planet including many unspoiled ecosystems yet to be discovered. One could argue that there are almost too many possibilities for one to experience in a complete lifetime! In all parts of the world, the greatest threat to the environment and the complex ecology of the creatures that live there are the activities of man himself. With this in mind and the careful and unique nature of many of Africa's wilderness areas, many joint efforts have been made to preserve these natural wonders and impart as little as possible negative impact on the environment.

This commitment goes beyond wildlife conservation and considers the needs of the national economies, the local inhabitants and the delicate natural environment of major areas within the African Continent. Ecotourism seeks to support this balance by working responsibly with African ministries of Tourism, tour operators and community-based initiatives that direct activities towards a constructive use of ecosystems and wilderness areas. Classic examples of this range from the wildlife conservation programs of the world famous Serengeti in East Africa, to the Okavango Delta in Botswana, to the isolated and unique ecosystem of Madagascar.

Birthplace of Mankind
But the real story of the African Continent is that of its many people, stretching far back into a past that is only preserved in the oral tradition of myths and legends. Surprisingly Africa is no longer referred to as the "Dark Continent" and is recognized as the birthplace of mankind! It is a land where great empires and civilizations roe and fell an even greater injustices were visited upon her people through the infamous slave trade of both the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. Africa is a land full of tremendous natural and human resources, which for many centuries were fought over by the powers of Europe seeking to obtain access and control of these vast riches, often at a terrible cost to the indigenous peoples. Today, Africa is made up of sovereign nations, but within these modern national boundaries are thousands of multi-ethnic cultures that have played a significant part in the long and storied history of the continent.

What is Cultural Tourism?
Cultural tourism is a term, which embraces any excursion that focuses on the activities of man, rather than nature, and attempts to give the tourist an understanding of the unique traditions and lifestyles of the local people. Africa is without a doubt a land of great historical interest as well as a place where different stages of the history of mankind can be seen - sometimes in still existing cultures. Many of these cultural sites are equipped with facilities and organized tours so that the interested visitor can have a firsthand experience of the location and cultural diversity of the area, often helping to support the welfare of the local people and the preservation of the significant cultural and historical sites nearby where they live. In addition, local arts and crafts represent a rapidly expanding area of the cultural tourism industry that create small businesses and jobs for many Africans as well as increases export market potential of many African nations. Classic examples of this range from the various cultural and historical sites of Nigeria to the timeless land of the Maasai in Tanzania and Kenya.

A Land of Opportunity
The travel and tourism industry of Africa offers unlimited potential for economic growth opportunity with those African nations that choose to market their resources to the African-American traveler. It also presents great investment opportunities for many savvy African-American investors who can take advantage of this trade bill with Africa that will hopefully remove barriers to free trade and economic opportunity for Africans working hard to catch up to the global economy and for Africans- Americans who want to work with them. The future of trade and investment opportunities in Africa is brighter as a result of Africa's determination to build future prosperity in free markets, coupled with its readiness to engage in a new spirit of mutual respect, support and cooperation with American businesses.

The power of tourism to bridge both the cultural and economic gap between Africans and African-Americans in my opinion is where African-Americans can have the most impact. Given the diversity of tourism attractions and the progressive investment policies being channeled in this lucrative industry by the African nations, the future of the travel and tourism industry for the African Continent looks very promising. While there are many challenges, ahead, those who invest early and wisely will ultimately reap the benefits for themselves and for Africa as a whole.

To learn more about the Africa Travel Association, write to its headquarters office at 347 Fifth Avenue, Suite 610, New York 10016. Telephone Number (212) 447-1926 and Fax Number (212) 725-8253.

The following is an earlier article by Mr. Saunders on the same topic, however he makes some different points.

Africa as a Tourism Destination For African Americans?
by David J. Saunders

During my travels in Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda I had the opportunity to hold conversations with, and make numerous observations of several African Tour operators and merchants, who depend on the travel and tourism industry to sustain their fragile economies. Through the sharing of their many experiences and expectations I began to truly understand the necessity for African-Americans to reach out and connect with our fellow African brothers and sisters.

"According to recent travel and tourism industry trends a new traveler to the Continent of Africa is emerging -- as a more culturally focused tourist -- one who uses their vacation to reflect upon the awareness of the environment, an interest in spiritual exploration and a commitment to social values through their participation in the African experience."

You see, in my opinion, tourism in itself is just the beginning of the strategic linkage that we must successfully forge between Africa and America as we enter into the twenty-first century. Shifting travel patterns, increased global awareness and the evolution of tourism as a viable entrepreneurial element within the African-American community presents a welcome challenge to those individuals who are willing to invest their time, monies and energy in gaining a position in the travel and tourism industry on the Continent of Africa.

It should also be no surprise to anyone that President Clinton's historic trip to the Continent of Africa has spurred a renewed interest in tourism and trade opportunities for Africa. President Clinton's visit to Africa sent a strong message to everyone willing to listen that Africa is not a continent of despair, but one of hope and opportunity. His trip highlighted Africa's new reality - its growth potential, the increasing but cautious experiments with democracy, and the aspirations of its people to form new partnerships with Americans.

African-Americans have always attempted to nurture a relationship with several African nations but have had to continuously adjust their participation and involvement in order to adjust to the changing times in America's interest on the Continent of Africa. More significantly, the travel and tourism industry offers many African-Americans a unique opportunity to leap ahead of the American mindset about doing business with Africa. As we approach the next millennium, I truly believe that this is the best time in the history of the travel and tourism industry to market African destinations to the African-American tourist marketplace.

The quality of service, affordability and convenience of travel to Africa is becoming more increasingly competitive and therefore much more negotiable for African-American tourists.

Now more than ever before, one's vacation dream of making that lifelong "Journey to the Motherland " is more realistic than ever before. Consequently, the time to travel to the Continent of Africa for pleasure or for business is now !

According to the World Tourism Organization, Africa registered the highest growth rate of tourists arrivals in all global regions, boosted by the buoyant results of both southern and northern Africa. Moreover, in Africa, international tourism has continued to perform well in 1997 with an overall increase in arrivals of 9.2 percent to more than 23 million, whereas receipts showed more modest results with an increase of only 4.5 percent to US$ 8.7 billion, reflecting to a larger extent a setback in high yield European source markets. Nevertheless, African travelers are becoming more sophisticated than ever before and want to experience the myriad of authentic venues on the Continent of Africa with an ever-increasing opportunity to interact with the local people. We, as African-American travel professionals, must therefore seize upon this opportunity in order to help many more African-Americans bring home something more than just souvenirs&emdash; perhaps a changed perception of one's self and more importantly the potential to contribute to the economic vitality of Africa through their very own travel and tourism experiences.

"For many future travelers to the Continent of Africa, the journey itself will be their overall goal and not just the selected destination. "

According to recent travel and tourism industry trends a new traveler to the Continent of Africa is emerging -- as a more culturally focused tourist -- one who uses their vacation to reflect upon the awareness of the environment, an interest in spiritual exploration and a commitment to social values through their participation in the African experience ! For your information, the hottest segment of vacation travel in the 1990s has been ecotourism, adventure tourism, spiritual tourism and cultural tourism; all of which you can experience in a single journey to Africa !

Growth trend: It is well known fact that American tourists dollars help to bring more economic benefits to African people than any other current industry. In fact, for many emerging African nations, tourism is the starting point from which they are able to develop and sustain their economic revitalization. NAACP President Kweisi Mfume, who accompanied President Clinton during his stop in South Africa, stated that "this trip reinforces the long overdue recognition by the U.S. government that the countries of Africa are indeed a world force to be integrated into an ever-evolving global economy".

At the Fourth African-American Summit that was held in Harare, Zimbabwe last year, the Clinton Administration sent a task force headed up by the Secretary of Transportation, the Honorable Rodney E. Slater. Secretary Slater expressed the desire of the Clinton Administration to expand upon U.S - Africa Trade and Investment Initiatives that will facilitate African nations to become capable trading partners with many USA-based businesses. Moreover, recent legislation cosponsored by Congressmen Phil Crane, Charles Rangel and Jim McDermott in conjunction with the African Trade and Investment Causes has called for an "End of Africa's Dependency on Foreign Aid and a Renewed Focus on Trade and Investment Opportunities".

As an African-American entrepreneur, who has decided to invest in the Continent of Africa, I am very encouraged by this new sense of direction and strongly believe that the relationship that the travel and tourism industry can ply in the economic growth and development of many African nations is crucial. Consequently, I challenge many of you to speak out about your support for African travel and Tourism initiatives at travel conferences, symposiums, trade shows and other related forums in order to spur an open dialogue amongst U.S. government officials, members of Congress, representatives of the U.S. transportation industry, non-governmental organizations involved in related socioeconomic programs in Africa, multilateral institutions, and the African Diplomatic Corps.

In conclusion, we as African-Americans must reach out, make contact and continue to participate in the emergence of Africa as the tourism destination for the next millennium. This bold concept will hopefully serve as the impetus to challenge, inspire and motivate many more African-Americans to visit Africa and establish cultural and economic ties with their brothers and sisters in Africa. I further believe that the overall success of this noteworthy endeavor requires purpose, imagination, tenacity and leadership. Within the Africa Travel Association, I truly welcome the expertise and experience of the many interested African-American travelers to Africa in assisting us to achieve our expectations. It is our firm belief that we can only get closer together by sharing our cultures and dreams in order to bridge the socioeconomic gap between our two continents.

Mr. David J. Saunders is the President of the Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the Africa Travel Association and cofounder of a full-service travel and tourism company. Venue International Professionals, Inc. based in the Washington Metropolitan Area.

To learn more about the Africa Travel Association, write to its headquarters office at 347 Fifth Avenue, Suite 610, New York 10016. Telephone Number (212) 447-1926 and Fax Number (212) 725-8253.