Sustainable tourism Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia and Madagascar

This programme aims at the tourism sector in four African countries: Kenya, Madagascar, Zambia, Tanzania. The goal is to attract more tourists from Europe. In the programme there is a special focus on tourists who are willing to spend more money.

The level of the tourism sector differs in each country. Before we started this programme, research showed that all four countries have a lot of growth potential. Our aim is to help each country become a become stronger and more independent tourism destination for European travelers.

Boosting tourism is a good way to fight poverty in these countries. It creates a lot of jobs, especially in remote and poorer regions. For example, for guides, interpreters, restaurants, local accommodation et cetera. In order to have this large spinoff effect, we are working intensively with tour operators in the four countries.

Project details

This programme began in 2013 and will end in 2017. Most of the companies are already entering the European market. We are helping the tourism sectors in each country develop better tourism products, good export marketing plans, and better websites to attract European customers. Direct online sales are growing in tourism. In addition to this, we have a special focus in each country.

Kenya

Kenya traditionally is quite a well-known tourism destination among Europeans. But its image has suffered in recent years because of problems in the country. We are working with the Kenyan tourism sector to improve the image. We are also supporting innovation. That way tourists will discover Kenya has much more to offer than what it is already known for.

Madagascar

Madagascar is relatively well-known among French tourists. Here we have two main goals. First, we want to introduce this destination to more tourists from other European countries. Second, we are helping the tourism sector to diversify its offer. This means tourists will discover Madagascar has much more to offer than what it is already known for.

Tanzania

A lot of Europeans know about Tanzania and its natural beauty. But the number of tourists visiting the country is surprisingly low. Tanzania is quite dependent on Kenya for incoming tourists. One of our goals here is to help the Tanzanian tourism sector to grow into a strong and independent destination. We are especially helping tourism companies to focus more on the European market.

Zambia

Zambia has a lot of tourist attractions, including national parks, rivers and waterfalls. But very few European tourists visit this country. We are helping the Zambian tourism sector to improve its image and branding as well as its infrastructure, among other things.

Project participants and products

A total of 15 companies from Kenya, 8 from Tanzania, 13 from Zambia and 9 from Madagascar are taking part in this programme. Most of them are tour operators. Tour operators are in a good position to attract foreign tourists. If they do a lot of business, this usually means other entrepreneurs in their countries will also get more customers.

Meet the participants

• You can contact CBI to get in touch with these exporters.

• Another possibility is to meet these potential suppliers at the trade fairs we will attend with some of them in Europe.

Partners

Our partners in this programme include business support organisations and government trade and tourism promotion agencies.

Kenya

• Kenyan Association for Tour Operators (KATO)
• Kenya Tourism Board (KTB)
• Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS)
• Ecotourism Kenya
• Kenya Tourism Federation (KTF)
• Western Circuit Tourism Association (WCTA)

Madagascar

• ORT Nosy Be regional tourism office
• ORT Diego Suarez regional tourism office
• Madagascar National Tourism Board (ONTM)
• Ministry of Tourism 

Zambia

• Zambian Tourism Agency (ZTA)

Tanzania

In Tanzania we are working exclusively with companies.

We also work with Travelife, a leading training, management and certification initiative for tourism companies committed to reach sustainability. All of the companies in this programme are members of Travelife.

Get involved as a tour operator

Are you a European tour operator interested in tourism in Africa? Contact CBI to get more information, or to meet with potential inbound tour operators who have been trained to serve incoming tourists from Europe.

Get involved in this project