Makerere University Business School’s Department of Tourism Management hosted the first Annual EAC Tourism Conference in Kampala, ahead of World Tourism Day on September 27.
The conference brought together key stakeholders, including tourism and hospitality students, investors, managers, policymakers, and scholars.
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Dr. Celestine Katongole, Acting Dean of the Faculty of Tourism, Hospitality, and Languages at MUBS, noted that the main objectives of the conference included creating a platform for knowledge exchange among tourism students, academia, and practitioners to inform sustainable tourism development policies.
“To have collaborative exchanges amongst students and industry practitioners geared towards inclusive and decent work opportunities for young people. To give a platform to students to showcase many ideas that lie untapped through exhibitions, with many of these ideas requiring support to turn them into important tourism products and entrepreneurial start-ups,” he said.
Other objectives included creating an opportunity for academia to receive feedback and share new knowledge to shape practice in private enterprise, tourism education and training, civil society, and public sector operations, among others.
“Tourism is a powerful instrument for socio-economic development across many countries of the world,” he stated. By 2019, the sector generated about US$5 billion in exports per day, making it the world’s third-largest export sector.
That year, tourism generated over US$1.7 trillion, earning the world economy more revenue than any other sector. Shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic, more than 1.4 billion tourists engaged in international travel.
Despite sustained development of tourism in Europe, the Americas, and many parts of Asia, Africa’s share of global tourism arrivals remains meager at just about 4.8%.
The continent’s earnings are only about 2.6% of global tourism revenues. East Africa lags behind other African regions in tourism development.
For instance, in 2019, the entire EAC region received 6.3 million tourists, generating US$5 billion.
In the same year, South Africa alone received 10.2 million visitors, generating US$8.4 billion in revenue.
Egypt receives twice as many tourists and income from tourism than the entire EAC region.
The EAC member states have identified tourism as a high-potential sector, which if harnessed, can contribute significantly to the bloc’s development process and achievement of sustainable development goals.
