The oceans, seas, rivers, and lakes that make up the vast aquatic and marine resources found on the African continent have the potential to expand the aqua-tourism economy in Africa. The continent is home to over 38 coastline states and several island nations, including Madagascar, Cape Verde, Sao Tomé and Principe, the Seychelles, Mauritius, and the Comoros. Small Island States (SIDs), which are particularly vulnerable to climate change and severe weather events, are included in this group of island nations. The huge oceanic regions covered by the coastline and island states of Africa total over 13 million km2. These bodies of water and wetlands have significant strategic value for the continent and offer prospects for offshore oil and gas energy mobilisation, coastal tourism, shipping, fishing, aquaculture, and other blue economy-related industries. This article will discuss possible ways to boost aquatourism in Africa, highlighting the challenges and ways to counter them for a rise in African aquatourism.
The Sustainable Blue Economy Conference, held in Nairobi, Kenya, in November 2018, revealed the prospects and difficulties facing the global aqua economy, not the least of which is Africa. The Nairobi Conference revealed and made clear the difficulties associated with advancing the creation of a sustainable blue economy, which provided inspiration for the proliferation of current projects in Africa and around the world. Following the Nairobi Conference, Africa’s leaders made a commitment to creating Africa’s Aqua Tourism Economy Strategy. This commitment was justified by the need to create a framework that would serve as a guide or reference for African Union member states, regional economic communities (RECs), and other regional organisations as they developed national and regional blue economy strategies.
In cognizance of the above assertion, Prof. Ahmed El-Sawalhy, the Director/Head of Mission, AU-IBAR, opined that “the movement to harness and use all of the oceans’, seas’, rivers’, and lakes’ potential resources for the socioeconomic liberation of Africa is gaining steam. The Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, Red Sea, and Mediterranean Sea are only a few of the very productive oceanic and sea habitats that are close to the continent. By utilising the potential for increasing ocean productivity, job creation, bolstering food and nutritional security, wealth creation opportunities, and environmental sustainability towards sustainable aquatourism development, these aquatic ecosystems offer the African Union member states a wealth of opportunities to participate in the sustainable ocean economy.”
Africa’s rich tapestry of aquatic biodiversity, beautiful coastlines, and cultural legacy can all be discovered through aquatourism, which poses as a subdivision of the travel and tourism sector. Africa is a chief location for water-based tourism because it has an abundance of natural resources, including pristine beaches and a variety of marine life. Aquatourism in Africa still has a lot of untapped potential and a number of difficulties. Below are the challenges and possible strategies for boosting aquatourism in Africa.
Enriched Information and Signage Centres
It is therefore pertinent to connect clear signage along coastlines and create an information centre to give tourists who are interested in aqua tourism or lovers of aqua tourism a piece of vivid information about local attractions, safety precautions, and environmental conservation efforts. This is because one of the drawbacks of aqua tourism is the lack of clear directions and information for tourists in coastal areas when they visit.
A Low Cost for Water Sports Activities
The cost of participating in water activities has been expensive, and this makes it difficult for tourists to participate. It is important to involve the local businesses to provide cheap water sports packages for kayaking, scuba diving, and snorkeling. This will make these activities available to a wider variety of tourists.
Infrastructural Development (Increasing Accommodations, Amenities, and Connectivity to Transportation)
The problems associated with aquatourism in many African nations involve poor port and marina infrastructure, which has restricted voyage travel and water-based activities; inadequate lodging alternatives, particularly in isolated seaside areas; and limited connectivity between coastal locations and transportation hubs.
The strategies here would be to handle larger containers and provide necessary amenities for tourists. The government and the business sector should invest in renovating ports and marinas. also encourages the creation of environmentally conscious resorts and lodges and the development of a variety of lodging options to accommodate various price ranges. There should be expanded and upgraded road and rail networks to guarantee easy access to coastal areas. Promoting affordable air travel options to coastal regions
Embrace culinary travel.
The tourists may have little or no knowledge of African local cuisine, so it is necessary as a strategy to boost African culinary tourism by urging eateries and sellers to provide a variety of traditional and regional seafood dishes, giving visitors a distinctive gastronomic experience while engaging in aquatourism.
Conservation of the Environment
These include marine conservation efforts, waste management, and monitoring of water quality.
Environmental corrosion and overfishing pose a problem for aquatic habitats; negligence in trash management damages coastal ecosystems; and pollution reduces water quality, which might turn away tourists interest in African aquatourism.
However, it will be wise to inaugurate marine protected areas and enforce rigorous laws to safeguard marine life, encourage sustainable fishing methods, embolden ethical travel by promoting recycling, waste minimization, and public awareness programmes, and ensure consistent water quality monitoring, strict rules, and partnerships with environmental organisations to improve water quality.
Commitment to the community
This captures local empowerment, cultural preservation, education, and information.
So many local communities don’t actually profit from aquatourism. Traditional cultures are vanishing due to tourism activities, and local communities don’t fully grasp the benefits of aquatourism, therefore making it difficult to educate, inspire, and welcome aqua tourists.
Strategies that need to be included in boosting aquatourism in African local communities involve offering education, job possibilities, and a cut of the money made through tourism-related activities. Certifying observance of regional norms while promoting cultural preservation through programmes like cultural tours and historical centres and creating workshops, educational initiatives, and awareness-raising efforts to educate locals about the advantages of sustainable aqua-tourism.
Promotional and marketing
This entails destination marketing and branding, collaboration with tour operators, and an online presence.
A notable challenge faced is that few people are aware of African destinations for aquatourism, there is little cooperation between international tour operators and African destinations, and African aquatourism destinations have a small online presence.
In boosting African aquatic tourism and experiences, it is important to showcase a marketing plan so that influencers and foreign travel agencies are partnered, engaging digital marketing to reach a worldwide audience while building and maintaining educational websites, active social media platforms, and the formation of associations with tour companies to have them include African places for aquatourism in their packages and itineraries.
Online Booking and Mobile Apps
The development of mobile applications and user-friendly websites that offer details, booking possibilities, and real-time updates on the weather, tides, and safety precautions for activities involving water is vital to African aquatourism. This is because the means of accessing information and making reservations are most often difficult.
It is a complex job to boost aquatourism in Africa. Therefore, the government and cooperation between the public and corporate sectors, as well as local communities and environmental groups, are tasked with ensuring that aquatourismblossoms in Africa. However, with the above-mentioned strategies, we can all work together to enhance aquatourism on the continent for turbulent growth and development.
