East Africa comprises of five neighbouring member states: Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Burundi and Rwanda. These countries are bound as a community through a political treaty that came into effect on the 7th of July 2000 which ratified the establishment of the East African Community (Eac.int, 2014).
Tourism receipts in developing countries can amount to more than 20 percent of the total value of exports which makes it a very significant pillar for these economies (Ondicho,2000,pp-49-70). Like all developing countries, the East African Community (EAC) member nations are dependent on the export of primary commodities whose prices are prone to uncertainty and erratic fluctuations. As a result, tourism remains one of the few alternative industries available to these countries in diversifying their sources of foreign exchange (Ondicho, 2000, pp-49-70).
According to the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), tourism’s contribution to Sub-Saharan Africa’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2012 was USD 36.0 Billion (2.8% of GDP) and was forecast to rise by 4.2% to USD 37.5 Billion in 2013 with growth expected to average 5.1% per annum to USD 61.9 Billion by 2023(Turner, 2013, p.3) .
Tourism has the potential to propel economic development whilst addressing social ills such as poverty and rampant unemployment given the failure of the traditional sectors such as agriculture to bring about meaningful socio-economic transformation (United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, 2011).
On the vast continent of Africa, there are fifty-three countries; of these only six are not located below the Sahara Desert. This leaves the Sub-Saharan region of Africa to encompass a total of forty-seven countries. Many of these countries south of the Sahara have been in state failure, either partial or complete collapse of state authority. This has led to an inability to
As mentioned by Rimmington & Morrison (2009), the assistance from different parts of the world presents a new and diverse outlook for future research including theoretical innovations and revelations, cultural and environmental aspects, tourist destination and other ecotourism and recreational aspects of tourism and hospitality industry (Brotherton,
The devastating earthquake has not only destroyed the tourism infrastructure, but also shadowed a future of the sector, changed people’s perceptions and demonstrated the destination image as an insecure and anxious. Although having moderate level of infrastructure in the country, Haiti’s tourism is a vital and increasing factor to the economic growth. Travel and tourism industries contributed to 7.4% of GDP and 5.8% of total employment of the country (ibid “USAID”). Improvement of the sector is very crucial for the country and Caribbean regions as tourism sector employs more than 65 thousand of employment in the country as of 2010 (World Travel and Tourism Council, 2010a).
Over the last 60 years, tourism has benefited from continuous growth and diversification, becoming one of the largest as well as the fastest growing world’s economic sectors. Tourism becomes one of the major categories of global trade in services. Nowadays, 7% of global goods and services exports are contributed by international tourism, and for the last four years, it has grown faster than the general global trade.[ Exports from international tourism rise 4% in 2015, (2016, May 6). Retrieved from http://media.unwto.org/press-release/2016-05-03/exports-international-tourism-rise-4-2015]
Construction of tourist facilities may increase the amount of jobs available to local people however it does also mean that more land is lost for natural habitats and although it is a necessary harm which is needed to increase economic activity there are few regulations on how much land can be used for new buildings and the removal of vegetation can increase soil erosion (Safariholidays 2011). Africa has a very delicate eco system which is highly vulnerable to drought and famine so although the benefits of tourism mean increasing sustainability in the long run it must be ensured that the locals receive some of
As well as this , the jobs created by tourism are often only seasonal and are very poorly paid, in addition, the money created from the visitors doesn’t always end up benefitting the local community but instead goes to bigger companies e.g.
The tourism has grown with significant rates in the last ten years and it has become the greater source of currency
The negative effects of tourism are widely publicised in a number of destinations worldwide; however it is often underdeveloped nations that are home to natural wonders of the world which attract huge tourism levels. This is significant as these underdeveloped nations often rely on the tourist industry as a main source of income and therefore a source of economic development. Increasing tourism levels often requires
East Africa offers experiences that can be found in no other place in the world. For this reason, you need to think about at least one trip to this region of the world and do some of the things mentioned below. Africa is a place where you can experience nature in its purest form. Many of the animals here cannot be found anywhere else in the world except in zoos. Here, they are in their natural environment. Much of the plant life and natural formations have a character to them that is uniquely African. Think about the following.
Tourism is a really complex sector in which is often driven by foreign and private interests. ( Roe. Dylis) it is also a volatile and is susceptible to changing events which can become difficult to control. A cause of that, there might exist a limited potential in helping the poor. Proo Poor tourism is supposed to be keen at maximise returns for poor people, however Tourism still allows wealthier people benefit from it . “The middle class poor are more likely to receive benefits than the ‘poorest’, who lack the capital and skills to exploit economic opportunities, but are likely to suffer from the negative impacts on local resources” (Hall, 2007)therefore, not all poor people can benefit from it, there always be some that will lose. ( reid , 2003 in.. colin h) argues that tourism need to address more directly the goal of distributive justice, it can be said that the pro poor tourism falls into optimism and opportunism (colin. H) Which is a negative
The development of the Okavang Delta tourism site is one of the examples of development that took place. The development of the Okavango did not only benefit the needs of tourists. Developing a tourism site required other type of development to happen before tourism game may take place. The government developed the countries gravel roads transforming them to tie roads. Walk ways along and to tourism sites were developed. The development of hotels was one of the things that other people saw an opportunity of boosting their income with. Mbaiwa (2003) argue that for developing countries or regions tourism is seen as the fast train towards better development. Along these lines it may also be argued that during such development, a vast
South Africa, Pretoria, 29 September 2014: “Africa remains the ‘go to’ place in the world, in as far as hotel investment and growth is concerned - and it will be for some time to come” says one of South Africa’s leading economists and Chief Economist for Investment Solutions, Chris Hart.
The number of tourist in Kenya has increased. This has contributed to an increase in exports in the country contributed by the increase in sales of domestic goods and service to foreigners (tourist) who visit the
Tourism and hospitality are industries that heavily depend on human contact, with the sheer volume of traffic and increasing spending power which has resulted to a rapid economic boom and also boosted the business travel market (Joffres et. al (2004),. Tourism appears to many developing countries a promising source of economic development (Smith et. al, (2003). Adventure tourism, given its emphasis on pure and pristine natural environments, lower barriers to entry for small business, and frequently reduced requirements for new construction in particular, is promising for countries with lower levels of capital investment and existing infrastructure. In some places, it is already worth more, in terms of export revenues and share of GDP, than traditional commodity-based or manufacturing exports, and seems to offer opportunities for employment, earning foreign exchange and encouraging investment and economic growth. Many developing countries, therefore, are prioritizing attracting foreign direct investment (“FDI”) in their tourism sectors. However, this form of FDI is complex, and its dynamics and impacts are not well understood.
Travel and tourism is one of numerous of important component that impact on economic growth and also become foreign revenue for Indonesia. Indonesia as a biggest archipelago country in the world offered several kind of aspect, like natural beauty, historical heritage, and cultural diversity. In context of travel and tourism affecting on economics growth, the data from world travel and tourism council stated that In year 2013 travel and tourism industry of Indonesia was contributed directly 3.1% of GDP or IDR. 281,632 billion and it could be raised 8.1% in 2014 and its expected rise to 5.3% from year 2014 until 2024 (world travel and tourism council; travel and tourism economic impact, 2014; page 1).