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Tourism is quite the revenue driver for many African countries. However, the sector has taken a major hit over the past two years, no thanks to the Coronavirus pandemic.
At the height of the global health scare in 2020 and even through to 2021, virtually all African countries were forced to shut down their land and sea borders as part of a global restrictions on travel aimed at curtailing the spread of virus. Unfortunately, this measure had inevitably shut down global tourism. And billions of dollars were lost in the process.
To show just how severe the pandemic's impact on Africa's tourism sector was, we obtained statistics from the UN World Tourism Organisation which show that international tourism receipts (i.e., expenditures by international visitors in Africa) dropped significantly by 62.7% from $39 billion in 2019 to $14 billion in 2020.
But there is some good news. According to the UNWTO's tourism recovery tracker, international tourist arrivals in Africa stood at 69% as of January 2022. Travel restrictions across the continent have also dropped to 9.43% from a high of 84.91% in June 2020.
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This is not to say that everything is back to normal. As a matter of fact, the number of international tourist arrivals in Africa is still very abysmal compared to pre-pandemic levels.
Based on available data from the UNWTO, a total of 18.5 million international tourists visited Africa in 2021 compared to 68.2 million in 2019. This is indicative of a 72.9% decline year on year.
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Based on the 2021 stats, below are the seven African countries with the highest international tourist arrivals. Now, it is important to bear in mind that the UNWTO emphasized that its ranking is subject to change, as time lapses and more updates become available.
Most Popular Countries In Africa: Africa boasts of mountains that tower high, crystal clear blue beaches, an amazing wildlife, ranges, amazing cuisines, music, incredible works and expressions of art, monuments, rich histories, culture and nature at its best. Every country in this untamed contingent has amazing sceneries and an incredible cultural experience. According to The World Travel and Tourism Council, an estimated 3.8 million jobs – with an additional 2.4 million indirect jobs – could be generated in Sub-Saharan Africa’s tourism industry within the next ten years period. This goes on to elucidate the importance of tourism to the economy of African countries and why the government of more African Countries are becoming more attracted to investing in the tourism of their countries and in extension, their popularity. This facts make most countries in this continent a famous tourist destination for leisure and recreation. Some of the world’s largest economies like Egypt, South Africa and Nigeria are member States of this beautiful continent. Because of its many inhabitants, it has become the dream land of most manufacturers like China and other foreign investors to meet consumers of every product possible. Africa also exports an abundance of natural resources such as: diamonds, gold, petroleum, platinum, natural gases, a variety of agricultural produces and even human labour. Advancements in infrastructure and technological advancements are part of what has brought so much attention to countries of Africa. Africa has also borne world renown personalities who have gone on to make the continent the enigma it is. Nelson Mandela, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Aliko dangote, Kwame Nkrumah, and the list is endless. This men and women have through their feats made their countries known and renowned around the world. The above are some of the reasons for increased attention of the world on Africa. Recommended: Best English Speaking Countries in Africa Most Popular and Well Known Countries In AfricaBelow are a list of 5 of the most Popular countries of Africa in no particular order: 1. Egypt: The land of the pharaohs, as it is popularly called is a country with so much fascinating history and culture recorded. Ancient Egypt has a rich history that includes political power tussles, amazing advances in art and writing, advances in technology and engineering, and so on. Egypt dates back to the 4th millennium BCE; has one of the oldest civilizations on earth and as such is one of the very popular countries of the continent of Africa and the world at large. Which are the Most Popular African Countries to Visit? This north east African country as at December 2021, had an estimated population of 102,674,145 people. It is the most populous country in the North of Africa and the Arab league of countries that make up the Middle East. The official language of the country is Arabic and it is also an officially Islamic country with a significant Christian minority. The capital of Egypt is Cairo. Modern Egypt began as a monarchy. It is said to have begun in the year 1922 when the country gained its independence from the British Empire. In 1952, after the revolution, the country merged with Syria to become a republic and later merged with Syria to form the United Arab Republic in 1958. An alliance that did not last long, as they parted ways in 1961. The government runs on a unitary semi-presidential republic as they have a President and a Prime Minister. They also run a multiparty two legislative houses system of parliament (the Senate and House of Representatives). Egypt is one of the leading cultural and intellectual centres of the Arab world. It is home to the Nile River, where most of the population of the country reside and make their living. A large portion of the lands of Egypt has overtime turned to deserts with people sparsely living there. It is also home to the Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx – monuments that have lasted generations and keeps drawing tourists to the country, year in, year out. Egypt therefore is popular for its history, rich deposits of ancient technologies, arts and culture and its role as a leading power in the Arab, middle-east enclave. Recommended: How to become a successful entrepreneur 2. South Africa: The country at the Southern-most tip of Africa, South Africa is home to the famous freedom fighter and President, Late Nelson Mandela. The multiethnic and multilingual country has an estimated population of 60,142,978 as at 2021. The ethnic make-up of South Africa comprises Blacks (80.7%), whites (7.9%), coloured (8.8%), and Asian (2.6%). Top 5 most famous country in Africa South Africa, whose largest city is Johannesburg has a capital for each arm of its government; Pretoria for its Executive arm, Cape Town for its Legislative arm and Bloemfontein for its judicial arm. It runs a unitary dominant-party parliamentary republic with an executive office of the presidency. South Africa is widely famous for the apartheid struggles that was institutionalized by the National party in 1948 till the 1980’s when the discriminatory laws started being repealed. It is also popular for being one of the world’s largest manufacturers of gem stones and precious metals. It is the world’s capital of Platinum as it produces and exports the largest amount of Platinum in the world and it also comes fourth in the world’s list of Diamond producers – coming in position after Botswana, Canada and Russia. South Africa comes as Africa’s second leading tourist export after Morocco, as over 10 million tourists throng the many historical sites and beautiful cities of the country. South Africa is not called the party capital of Africa for nothing. The largest southern African country by land mass boasts of the most modern cities in Africa with beautiful Coastlines, wildlife Safari, national parks, historical sites like the cradle of Humankind in Guateng where there is a 2 million old fossil remains and much more. The very beautiful country has also produced famous men like famous like Nelson Mandela, Desmond Tutu, Albert Luthuli and F. W. de Klerk who all played major roles in ending the apartheid government and are Nobel Peace Prize laureates. South Africa is popular for its Apartheid history, tourist attractions, an amazing culture, the beautiful array of wildlife and plants, the lifestyle they offer, important personalities, etc. Recommended: Countries with the Most Handsome Men in Africa 3. Nigeria: The most populous country in Africa is as well the most populous black nation on earth. It is inhabited by over 211 million citizens, with over 525 different languages including the very common Nigerian pidgin and the official lingua franca, English. Most Well-Known Countries in Africa Nigeria gained its independence from Britain in 1960 and since then went through a civil war that lasted for 3 years between 1967 through 1970, a back-and-forth dictatorial military and civilian government that comprised a number of coups d’état up until 1999 – when an election ushered in a stable democratic system of government. It runs a federal presidential republic with a two chambers legislative arm of government called the National Assembly (the Senate and the House of Representatives). Nigeria’s capital is Abuja and its largest and most populous city is Lagos, renowned as Africa’s big apple. Nigeria was is seen in Africa as a regional power and as one of the leading developing economies of the world. It has the 25th largest economy in the world and the largest economy in Africa owing to its large deposit of natural resources such as Petroleum and natural gases and its large labour force. Often referred to as “the giant of Africa” and as an emerging market by the World Bank. Nigeria at some point was once referred to as one of the MINT (Mexico, Indonesia, Nigeria and Turkey) countries of the world. In Pre-colonial times, the geographical area now known as Nigeria had civilizations, states, kingdoms and settlements that lived and made their living on the lands that are now called Nigeria; notably, the Benin Kingdom, the Nok people of Jos, the kingdom of Ife and so on. As such, Nigeria has a very rich and diverse cultural heritage. It plays host to several ceremonies and festivals that are elaborate, colourful and attracts a lot of tourists. It has a lot of nature to showcase to its visitors, as well as a lot of indigenous cuisines and a budding hospitality industry competing to satisfy. Nigeria is home to Nollywood, the world’s second largest producers of movies, only after Bollywood of India and ahead of Hollywood of the United States of America. Part of what makes Nigeria popular is that it has also produced African music exports that have gone on to serenade the world and sell their home country’s famous Afrobeat music Genre to a wider audience – off the shores of Africa. It is worthy of note to state that the richest man in Africa according to Forbes, Aliko Dangote, is a national of Nigeria; so also, the Literary Nobel laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka and the Current Director-General World Trade Organisation (WTO), Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. Recommended: Countries with weakest currency in the world 4. Kenya: The Republic of Kenya is an Eastern African country that inhabits an estimated population of over 54,985,698 citizens. This country is famed for having a panoramic scenery and Geography, a diverse wildlife, the Massai warriors and Kalenjin Athletes. What are the 5 major countries in Africa? Kenya got its independence from the United Kingdom in 12 December 1963 and a year later, declared itself a Republic in 12 December 1964. It runs a presidential representative republic, where the people are represented by elected officials and the head of state is the president. Its capital is Nairobi. Kenya is considered the 3rd largest economy in Sub-Saharan Africa, coming after Nigeria and South Africa. Kenya has a very rich history in music and artistic expressions such as traditional oral and written literature. It’s athletes – especially, those of the Massai Kalenjin tribe – go on to win marathons and endurance sports every year. Kenya is famous for its world leading lush and beautiful safaris that boast the Big Five ( Lions, Elephants, Buffalos, black and white species of Rhinoceros and the Leopard), originally described in Africa as the hardest animals to hunt. In Kenya, you can also find the Massai Mara game reserve where annually, over a million wildebeest, zebra and antelope around the Serengeti-Masai Mara ecosystem migrate clockwise. It has high snow-capped mountains that are scattered inland – one of them is the second largest mountains in Africa, Mount Kenya. Kenya is also known to be the birth home of: famous Hollywood actress, Lupita Nyong’o; Politicians, Raila Odinga and Uhuru Kenyatta; Prolific writer, Ngugi wa thiong’o; and the black man that broke the jinx in the Oval office of the USA, Barrack Obama. Recommended: Countries with Best Education System in the world 5. Morocco: The state known officially as the Kingdom of Morocco is in the northwestern-most part of North Africa. It has an estimated population of 37,112, 080 people who speak Arabic as their official language and are 99% Muslims. Morocco is such a fascinating country. The culture, the landscape, to the religion just gets you all enthralled in its beauty and extravagance. What are the five most popular countries in Africa? What puts them on the map? Modern day Morocco gained its independence on 7th April 1956 from from France and Spain and unified its divided protectorate. Since then the country has remained some-what stable. It recent ratings, it has become the fifth-largest economy in Africa and controls very significant influence in both Africa and the Arab league of countries. It runs a unitary parliamentary semi-constitutional Monarchy. This simply means that they have a King, a prime minister and a double parliamentary chamber. The capital of Morocco is Rabat and its largest City (a port city) is Casablanca. Morroco is famous for its deserts areas, mountains, lush forests, ancient cities and beautiful coastlines. Morocco developed a plan called Plan Azure. It apportioned tourist zones to six coastal areas. Each zone is themed to suit a particular tourist need such as sports, eco-tourism and culture. Morocco has been very successful in building its tourism sector as over 10 million people are attracted to their offers every year. One of Morocco’s most incredible features, the Atlas Mountains collects and stores rainwater and snowmelt, providing the verdant valleys that are below. Morocco’s athletes have never missed any Olympics (both winter and Summer) since 1960 and this has added to their popularity all around the world. Recommended: Most profitable skills to learn in 2022 Conclusion There are still so many other popular countries in Africa such as : Ghana, Namibia, Liberia, Algeria, Congo and so forth, with different factors that make them so well known around the world. The above are the few most famed countries according to Tourism, business and investments, and their histories. Edeh Samuel Chukwuemeka ACMC, is a Law Student and a Certified Mediator/Conciliator in Nigeria. He is also a Developer with knowledge in HTML, CSS, JS, PHP and React Native. Samuel is bent on changing the legal profession by building Web and Mobile Apps that will make legal research a lot easier. |
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