The wedding of Amazon boss Jeff Bezos in Venice last month brought the issue of over-tourism into headlines around the world. Even though high visitor numbers to national parks in countries like South Africa and Kenya are cause for concern here, our breathtakingly beautiful continent has for the most part been spared such excesses. Indeed, tourism is a valuable source of revenue for many countries.
It is good news, then, that post-pandemic the continent is seeing a surge in tourism – not just a recovery, but a significant increase that is reshaping economies and investment and boosting employment.
According to the UN Tourism Barometer, Africa saw 74 million tourist arrivals in 2024: up 7% on pre-pandemic levels and 12% on 2023. In Q1 2025, the continent recorded 9% growth in international arrivals, compared with the same period in 2024, exceeding pre-pandemic traveller numbers by a welcome 16%. The Gambia saw by far the highest increase (+46%), followed by Morocco (+22%), Egypt (+21%), Ethiopia (+7%) and South Africa (+6%).
Airports are being built, expanded or renovated to better welcome travellers
Growth drivers
Morocco, boasting coasts along both the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, was the most visited country in Africa last year, with 17.4 million arrivals – close to half of them Moroccans living in the diaspora. This marked a 20% increase over 2023 numbers. Egypt, with its ancient wonders, welcomed 15.7 million visitors, and Tunisia, with its well-kept Roman ruins and unique blend of Arab and Berber cultures, saw 10.25 million visitors.
In sub-Saharan Africa, South Africa led with 8.92 million visitors, three-quarters of them other Africans. Kenya followed, with 2.4 million visitors, then Tanzania (2.14 million) and Seychelles (1.4 million – more than 10 times its population).
The rise in Afro-tourism is being driven by several factors, a principal one being improved travel infrastructure. Across the continent airports are being built, expanded or renovated to better welcome travellers. New hotels are also springing up, with large chains like Marriott, Hilton and Radisson enlarging their footprint. Meanwhile, Kenya, Rwanda, Ghana, Morocco and countries within the Southern African Development Community have all recently relaxed visa requirements, boosting intra-African travel.
Increasing tourism has brought local inflation to parts of the continent
Diaspora and niche tourism is also driving the numbers. Ghana’s ‘Year of Return’ with its policies to attract investment and people who trace their ancestry back to the country to visit has been largely successful. So have events like Nigeria’s growing Detty December and Calabar Carnival, which now attract large numbers of tourists at the end of each year. Surf tourism in Morocco’s coastal village Imsouane and astro-tourism in Namibia are also fast becoming a thing.
Of course, tourism is a major contributor to African GDP. In 2023, it contributed 6.8% of African GDP, up from 5.9% the previous year. In Tanzania, for example, tourism represents around 17% of GDP and is one of the country’s largest foreign exchange earners. It contributes 7% of Kenya’s GDP and 8.5% of Egypt’s. It also accounts for millions of jobs across the continent.
Not all good news
There are downsides, though, not least the pressure on national wildlife reserves. In some countries, the increase in tourism has also brought with it local inflation. This is the case in Ghana, where the home returners price up real estate, clothes and food as their dollars change into lots of cedis, giving them much more bargaining power than locals.
Another downside is gentrification, which is seen as a threat to Morocco’s Imsouane and the Marrakech Medina, as cultural traditions and old ways of doing things give way to catering for the needs of tourists. With locals in some of Europe’s tourist hotspots increasingly showing their dissatisfaction with the annual influx of visitors, maybe it’s only a matter of time before Africa’s citizens follow suit.
Opportunities for accountants and finance professionals are varied. From arranging financing for tourism-supporting infrastructure such as airports, rail lines, roads, hotels, parks and museums to providing accounting and tax services to tourism-related businesses, their skills are in demand. They can also play a part in advocacy to ensure African nations gain the benefits of tourism while minimising its negative effects.
Tourism is alive, well and growing in Africa. If guided right, it can be an engine for inclusive economic growth and renaissance. The continent has so much to show the world. Let’s keep showing it.
