Expert panel launched to accelerate Africa's tourism and travel

Business
By James Wanzala | Jul 06, 2024
Maasai Moran dances to celebrate the reopening of the pride-inn Mara camp that was destroyed by floods in May after river Talek broke its banks. [George Sayagie, Standard]

Public Relations Global Network (PRGN) has announced the launch of the Global Expert Panel on Tourism and Travel for Africa.

The launch was led by its member agency, the Newmark Group, a strategic communications and advisory firm headquartered in Nairobi.

This pioneering initiative brings together top communications and marketing experts and leaders from across the world to arm tourism and destination management organizations with deep local insights and data from source countries.

It underscores the importance of understanding cultural nuances to significantly enhance the market presence and reimagine Africa's tourism narrative globally.

Tourism and travel in Africa have experienced impressive growth since the start of the millennium, as highlighted by a World Travel & Tourism Council report.

In 2022, the sector contributed nearly 6 percent to Africa's GDP, playing a vital role in economic stability and supporting 22 million jobs across the continent.

Amid this backdrop, the establishment of PRGN's Global Expert Panel in tandem with The Newmark Group is essential for leveraging Africa's tourism potential for sustainable development and inclusive growth.

"To elevate Africa's tourism sector, destination marketers must harness global capabilities and adopt a holistic approach to branding and marketing. PRGN provides unparalleled global resources and local expertise, delivering a unique insight to meet new needs and thus capture market shares," said PRGN President Natacha Clarac.

Gilbert Manirakiza, CEO of the Newmark Group and Co-Chair of PRGN's Global Expert Panel, said data and analyses that their team has carried out indicate that many African destinations significantly suffer from negative perceptions among target audiences abroad, mainly due to historically negative headlines in global media.

Share this story
Middle East conflict deal: Why economics, not US or Iran, won
The closing of the Strait of Hormuz made the Iran war become a global war on the economic front and it looped into the peace deal, the war in Lebanon pitting Israel against Hezbollah
Kenya to host global military AI Summit, a first for Africa
Kenya has secured the rights to host the fourth Responsible AI in the Military Domain (REAIM) Summit, the first African country to host the meeting.
Falling crude oil prices raise hope of relief at the pump
News of a deal to end the Iran-US war earlier this week has seen prices fall to below $100 per barrel for the first time in months.
Kenya's first dollar-denominated green property fund oversubscribed as investors seek hard-currency returns
TRIFIC CEO Brenda Mbathi described the oversubscription as a strong endorsement of the quality of the underlying assets and the resilience of our business structure.
Why US has beaten China to clinch Kenya's Sh9.7tr minerals deal
America has struck a preliminary minerals deal with Kenya, securing a foothold in one of the world’s largest untapped rare earth deposits worth about Sh9.7 trillion. The deal edges out China.
.
RECOMMENDED NEWS