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The extraordinary rise of Ethiopia as a destination and hub for long-haul travel in sub-Saharan Africa has been revealed by the latest findings of ForwardKeys which predicts the evolution of travel by analyzing 17 million of flight booking transactions per day.
The data shows that Addis Ababa (capital of Ethiopia) has increased its number of international transfer passengers to sub-Saharan Africa, five years in a row (2013-2017). He also points out that Bole Airport in Addis Ababa, which is currently undergoing a new $ 345 million terminal, has overtaken Dubai as the gateway to the region.
The findings were published by ForwardKeys at the African Leaders Forum of the World Council of Tourism and Tourism, which was held in Stellenbosch, South Africa.
At least part of Ethiopia's increase in international bookings is due to renewed confidence in the wake of reforms introduced by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed since taking office in April.
This includes signing a peace agreement with Eritrea in July, a new e-visa policy introduced in June that allows all international visitors to apply for an online visa and the promise to open the door. Ethiopian markets to private investment.
International bookings for Ethiopia, from November to January of next year, are more than 40% ahead of the same period in 2017, far more than any other destination in sub-Saharan Africa. .
While visitors to Ethiopia and the rest of sub-Saharan Africa come from all over the world, Europe dominates as an origin market, according to the findings; it has increased by 4% since the beginning of the year. On the other hand, the number of visitors from the Asia-Pacific region has only increased by 1% since the beginning of the year.
ForwardKeys points out that one of the main opportunities for destinations in the region is to ease visa regimes for international travelers.
An example is given for the Chinese market, which is now the strongest in the world in terms of both numbers of people and spending.
According to ForwardKeys data, the liberalization of visa policies has had a transformative effect on Chinese tourism in Morocco and Tunisia in recent years, greatly increasing the number of visitors.
For South Africa, 2018 has been a difficult year – a water crisis and the national carrier facing a difficult period. But the seating capacity is now showing encouraging signs, ready for a new influx of visitors.
Olivier Ponti, Vice President, Insights, ForwardKeys, said: "Sub-Saharan Africa is a market of opportunities. In the region, carriers are increasing average seating capacity by 6% on international flights; it's an encouraging sign.
"If more governments follow the lead given by Ethiopia, including by reducing conflict and taking advantage of the benefits of a more flexible visa policy, I would expect healthy tourism growth in 2019. "
ETNews
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