JOHANNESBURG, Mar. 2 — Tourism operators from Africa on
Wednesday called for the removal of hurdles that impede the sector’s growth.
This was said by various tourism players from the continent at the Meetings
Africa 2018 which came to an end on Wednesday. Patricia Mupfumira,
Zimbabwean Minister of Tourism and Hospitality said Africa needs to remove
obstacles to the sector. He said his country is currently trying to do that
by improving roads to boost tourist arrivals and establishing special
economic zones to improve the country’s tourism sector. She said Zimbabwe
is in the process of establishing one-stop shop where potential investors
can apply for company licenses and get all the necessary paperwork speedily
in one place. Frank Murangwa, director of meetings, incentives,
conventions, and events (MICE), destination marketing of Rwanda Convention
centre called on Africa to collaborate when hosting major events. Murangwa
said many African countries should learn from Rwanda’s best practices.
“Tourism needs to be understood by the leaders like the situation in
Rwanda. Tourism needs support of the government to create an enabling
environment for tourism to succeed. These include access to countries,
remove visa hassles and ensure there is security and peace,” he said. He
said African countries who cannot afford to have flag carriers should open
skies for those with money to operate to promote the sector. – XINHUA
