By Sikhulile Dlamini
MBABANE – The improvement of the aviation industry in the African continent is one of the trending topics at the on-going Tourism Indaba currently taking place in Durban, in the KwaZulu Natal Province of South Africa.
Minister of Tourism and Environmental Affairs Jane Mkhonta-Simelane is one of the ministers who have joined the panel of African Ministers for a tourism dialogue session at Southern Sun Elangeni Hotel in Durban, to discuss this important matter. This was announced by the Eswatini Government Facebook page today (14 May 2024). The event took place last night (May 13, 2024), according to the Facebook page.
The African continent is faced with many problems when it comes to the aviation industry. Currently, a person cannot fly straight from King Mswati III International Airport to Maputo International Airport. The situation is the same for many different countries in Africa. Another example is that it is difficult for a person to fly straight from Kigali, Rwanda to Douala, Cameroon. For that to happen, a person must first go to London Heathrow International Airport in England, before going to Douala.
In most cases, that problem is caused by the fact that for most Africans, it is expensive to access aviation service. Therefore, it becomes very difficult to travel to another African country that is far away. This greatly affects tourism, which has emerged as one of the ways for many countries to improve their economies.
Under the theme, ‘Air connectivity: a catalyst for Tourism Development in Africa,’ the tourism conversation was on how the African continent can work together to create direct routes between African countries as well as reduce travelling costs with African countries to increase tourism in the continent.
Further, the purpose of the session was to provide a platform for African tourism ministers, policy makers, stakeholders and experts from the tourism sector and air travel industry. It was also to share ideas on the role of tourism on the African continent and to discuss expanding air access into and across African skies.
