Tourism Promotion: Tips for Africa’s Foreign Missions and Consulates

An Answered Prayer is what I would call it, following last week’s announcement and strategic decision by Government of Uganda in assigning  Uganda’s Foreign Missions and Consulates a key role in marketing Uganda’s Tourism in the international source markets alongside the Uganda Tourism Board ( UTB).

My argument has always been and still is that Africa’s Foreign Missions and Consulates are strategically positioned and hold the key to unlocking volumes of international tourist arrivals into Africa. By virtue of their physical presence and networks within the source markets, our Embassies if well facilitated and equipped,  stand the best chance of promoting and managing the Destination image through their Commercial & Economic Diplomacy efforts .

In this article , allow me share my wishlist and a few tips that Embassies and missions abroad can tap on to inorder to deliver much needed spike in tourism arrivals into Africa.

1. Focus on Destination Awareness and Public Relations in the Overseas Source markets.

Dealing with negative travel advisories against African Countries and the issue of limited global awareness of Africa as a tourist destination should be top of the agenda. Two of the most consistent pains and challenges to marketing Africa’s tourism in the source markets have always been negative Travel advisories and limited knowledge of Africa as a tourism hotspot in the overseas markets. Below is a caption of a recent negative travel advisory against Uganda;

In regards to limited awareness, it’s very strange that even some tour operators in neighbouring Africans have never visited other neighbouring countries within Africa . This challenge of limited awareness gets even more critical in the European and North American source markets.

This state of affairs is mainly attributed to lack of adequate destination awareness campaigns and information dissemination about African Countries in the various source markets. Most of Africa’s previous marketing efforts have largely been focused on engaging the Travel Trade and tourism business community in the source markets, however the Foreign based Tour Agents cannot sell a destination without the consumers demanding for it. The time is now to shift focus on generating mass awareness of Africa as a tourism destination. We need to create effective demand within the source markets.  The mantle to changing this trajectory has now been passed to our Embassies and Missions Abroad to salvage the situation by bridging this information gap.

Below are 3 key action areas that could be considered by our missions in fixing this awareness challenge;

• Africa Embassies and Missions Abroad should prioritize roll out of the individual African Destination Brands in the overseas source markets through  sponsorship of key public events and distribution of branded customized promotional content at all strategic touch points. A case in point is the recently concluded Uganda Festival captioned in video below in Mombasa organized by the Uganda Consulate in Mombasa
• Timely information sharing and networking with foreign governments to avoid negative advisories .
• Identify and work with Digital Marketing specialists in the source markets to amplify Africa’s online visibility in target markets.
• Procure regular Advertising space in international media to ensure top of mind awareness of each African country as a tourism destination. As the Marketeers will tell you Market share is bought with hard currency. Our African Embassies and Missions Abroad should invest  in partnerships with foreign media outlets within the source markets. This will ensure top of mind awareness of Destination Africa right in front of the consumer and  will undoubtedly generate the much needed demand for Africa as a tourism destination.

2. Create Business Linkages between Foreign based Tour Agents & African Private Sector in Tourism. 

The Embassies and Missions Abroad should pay specific focus to building business Linkages between the travel trade in the source markets and the Africa tourism private sector. These platforms for synergy created by the Missions Abroad will ensure sales conversions and immediate increase of tourist arrivals into Africa. In simple terms, the missions will create the opportunities for collaboration and the African private sector will do the destination selling. Below are some of the specific deliverables for the Missions to consider in creating business Linkages;

• Our African Missions Abroad should organize atleast 2 Roadshows annually in partnership with their Tourism Boards and the private sector. Roadshows are specialized industry events within the source markets centered around showcasing the destination to industry stakeholders and crowned with B2B meetings.
• Our African Missions Abroad should participate  in at least 1 tourism and  travel expo per quarter in collaboration with the African Private Sector & Tourism Boards.
• Publish and Profile a data base of all  licensed tour operators on the mission’s website and regular newsletters

With these boxes ticked off , we can be rest assured to see a surge in the African Country’s tourist arrivals.

3. Product Knowledge and Capacity Building for Embassy staff and foreign based travel experts. 

We can only Market what we know and have tasted or experienced. Our Missions and Embassies abroad need to acquaint themselves with product knowledge of their country’s tourism offering and then extend the same opportunity to the overseas travel trade and travel agents to visit Africa and experience her product offering first hand.

The above goal will be successful if the following actions are given due consideration ;

• Investment in regular destination training for all mission and consulate staff
• Hold Quarterly destination trainings for the foreign travel agents and tour operators.
• Organize atleast 2 Fam trips to the African Country for Selected travel agents, Vloggers, influencers  and foreign media houses in partnership with the Tourism Boards.

These few simple pointers and guidelines if pursued vigorously will in no doubt yield the much anticipated numbers in as far as tourist arrivals are considered. Ofcourse, the need push for new investors in Africa’s luxury hospitality segment is a must-do to ensure the destination achieves competitiveness.

I believe that the decision to entrust our Missions and Consulates abroad to spear head Marketing of our tourism assets globally is a step in the right direction and I urge all of us tourism stakeholders in Africa to support this strategic move to achieve the much anticipated growth of the sector.

By Eddy Kirya ( Msc. Tourism & Hospitality Mgt ( MUK)

Seasoned Tourism & Hospitality Consultant , Managing Director , Eyalama Adventures, Former Board Member , Uganda Tourism Board ( 2017 – 2023) and Recipient of the Presidential National Diamond Jubilee Medal in Uganda , in recognition of my role in Uganda’s Tourism development.