The 27th of September is World Tourism Day and here in Africa we get that it’s a day worth celebrating! With all that’s to see in this beautiful continent we’re not surprised that 33.8 million people spent their holiday time and hard-earned money here. And, it’s ever-growing, with the US$36 billion now amounting to 2.8% of the region’s GDP. 1 in 20 jobs in Sub-Saharan Africa are in the tourism industry so I think it’s a wonderful reason to celebrate what makes us unique in our various parts of Africa, and find ways to make it attractive for people from around the world to enjoy. The World Bank recently shared that about 3.8 million jobs (including 2.4 million indirect jobs) could be created by the tourism industry in Sub-Saharan Africa by 2021, so there’s more reason to get the formula right, so that number can grow.
So now, the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) makes sure that we celebrate the day because it is so important to us, here in Africa and around the world. This year’s theme is “Tourism and Community Development”, focusing on the ability of tourism to empower people and provide them with skills that can bring change to their communities.
This is how it is happening:
What is special about YOUR local community that makes it worthwhile for tourists to visit?