Visit Rwanda. It’s been five years since the controversial sponsorship of one of the world’s richest football clubs by one of the world’s poorest countries, and it now seems the Rwandan government’s tourism ministry may just have proved its detractors wrong.
It boasts that the Rwandan tourism sector grew 8% within a year of the $40m sponsorship of Arsenal Football Club. Perhaps on a par with the economic dividend is that the sponsorship put the tiny East African nation on the map.
Sponsorship is one thing. What Rwanda has done exceedingly well is streamline its tourism campaign with a whole-of-government strategy to attract foreign direct investment. The idea here is that when visitors step off the plane in Kigali, drive to their hotel, conduct business, enjoy the sights and return home, this small African nation ensures a positive experience.
This experience translates into repeat trips, glowing recommendations, business deals and Kigali rising up the conferencing location-of-choice ladder.
Neighbouring Kenya, under President William Ruto, seems to have taken a leaf out of Rwanda’s book, focusing on being welcoming to both fellow African and international guests.
As Africans become wealthier and intra-African tourism grows, these governments have announced plans to open their borders to fellow Africans for visa-free travel into their countries.
In the context of a concerted drive towards the African Continental Free Trade Area, these decisions are astute. Considering a growing global tourism sector, estimated at $2.3-trillion annually, their decisions are economically prudent.
Where Rwanda has Arsenal Football Club, SA has Trevor Noah. His latest advertisement for his home country has captured the imagination of travellers near and far, though the price tag of $1.7m has brought some criticism from Joe Public. Frankly, the price is a bargain considering Noah’s status in the world’s wealthiest country, the US.
This latest advert arrives at a hopeful time for the revival of SA’s tourism sector after the setbacks of the Covid-19 pandemic. The announcement of Tim Harris as interim chair of SA Tourism can only bode well for the country’s tourism sector.
This home-grown policy maestro’s track record at Wesgro, a shining testament to a well-run public entity, gives hope that he, alongside a new-look team on the board, can turn things around for the country’s tourism sector.
But the Tourism Board and its new appointments can only do so much alone. Where Kenya and Rwanda apply an integrated whole-of-government approach to tourism, SA government departments bump up against each other in what can look like active self-sabotage.
What Noah’s advert didn’t tell you is that if you are an African passport holder — good luck trying to get a visa to visit the continent’s southernmost state. The African Development Bank ranks SA 33rd on its index of most open African states. That is, the country is more closed off than it is welcoming.
Anyone who has read Google reviews on any of SA’s embassies is unlikely to be surprised by this ranking. Unfortunately, more often than not prospective visitors’ first experience of the SA government will be shambolic visa application procedures, unhelpful staff and physical premises that are in dire need of repair, or at least a lick of paint.
This must change. SA government departments must work with each other in a concerted effort to convert our country’s natural beauty into real economic return. Adverts are one thing. A well-oiled, integrated tourism strategy that is effectively implemented is quite another.
• Nott (@TheAfricaBrief) works for a venture facility for public benefit and is based in London. He writes in his personal capacity.
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