Tourism, sustainability and development go hand in hand at INVESTOUR 2016

The Tourism Investment and Business Forum for Africa has consolidated its role as a bridge between Africa and the rest of the world by showcasing the opportunities for tourism cooperation and investment on the continent

Madrid – The Tourism Investment and Business Forum for Africa, INVESTOUR, continues to prepare its seventh staging, which is due to be held on 21 January 2016 as part of FITUR and which will focus on the main challenges that have to be faced to succeed in attracting a greater volume of foreign direct investment (FDI) to the African continent’s tourist sector.

Promoted jointly by the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), FITUR and Casa África, and with the collaboration of the Spanish Travel Agencies’ Confederation (CEAV), INVESTOUR África has established itself as a meeting point between African governments, institutions and businesspeople and the rest of the world, coming together to exchange knowledge and good practices intended for favouring the promotion and development of tourism in Africa while maintaining a perspective of sustainability and absolute respect for the natural and cultural wealth offered by the continent.

Objective: to attract foreign investment to the African tourist sector
The forum consists of two sessions. In the morning two round tables will be staged in which a prominent ensemble of industry experts and professionals will exchange experiences and knowledge on key topics for the promotion and development of tourism in Africa. The first one will thus discuss Challenges of investing in Africa and how to attract FDI to the African tourism sector. It will also analyse the challenges that have to be overcome to increase the attraction of tourism in the region in order to improve the perception of investors and potential foreign visitors. Also discussed will be aspects such as managing crisis communication and improving connectivity and visa policy. For its part, the round table entitled Africa: The future is now will revolve around another of the linchpins that define this encounter: the need to develop a competitive and innovative tourism product under the Africa brand by renovating infrastructures and communications and applying new technologies in tourism management policies.

The afternoon session will host B2B meetings, with a pre-arranged appointments diary between businesspeople from the African tourism industry and potential Spanish and international partners interested in investing in the region.

A continent with great potential

Africa is currently immersed in the process of developing its tourism, having last year welcomed 56 million tourists, accounting for 5% of world tourism and generating revenue of 36.5 billion dollars or 3% of the total revenue obtained by tourism worldwide. And forecasts are pointing to this rising trend being extended into the next few years, for the UNWTO is expecting around 85 million tourists to arrive in African destinations by 2020. In this context the need is clear for a stage such as INVESTOUR África, to serve as an annual platform for dialogue and to showcase the opportunities for cooperation and investment in African tourism.