Why not everyone is profiting from Africa’s luxury tourism boom | International

Africa is in vogue as a tourist destination, and governments and companies from different countries are looking to ride that wave to attract a booming sector: luxury tourism. In 2024, nearly 74 million people visited the continent — 13.6% more than the previous year — making it the second-fastest growing region in the world for visitors, behind only Asia and the Pacific, according to data from the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). Of that total, 42.6 million travelers went to sub-Saharan countries.

Although countries like Mauritius, Rwanda, Botswana, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe are betting big on luxury tourism — in the form of safaris, honeymoons, food tours, train journeys, and nautical tourism — experts and industry workers warn of the need to explore new approaches to ensure that economic benefits also reach local suppliers and employees in sufficient measure. According to estimates by the World Travel and Tourism Council, the sector will contribute $168 billion to the continent over the next decade and create more than 18 million jobs.

The global travel and tourism market was valued at more than $5 trillion in 2023, of which $1.38 trillion corresponded to the luxury segment, according to a study by Grand View Research, a market research and consulting firm. By its estimates, the sector could grow by up to 8% between 2024 and 2030.

For Natalia Bayona, executive director of UNWTO, this global trend holds significant potential in Africa, as she explains to EL PAÍS: “Luxury is not so much about spending millions of dollars on a trip, but about experiencing something meaningful and responsible [with respect to the local environment]. For us, it is important that slow tourism [which prioritizes quality over quantity] continues to grow, because it generates even more spending and creates more jobs,” she says in a message exchange.

Other studies show that major companies are also betting on this market in Africa. According to the latest hotel chain development report by W Hospitality Group, a Nigerian consultancy, the number of agreements signed to build tourist resorts is rising significantly year after year across the continent. At the beginning of 2025, 577 hotel and resort projects were under development in Africa, 13.3% more than in 2024. Of these 577 projects, 85% will be high-end and luxury hotels.

However, although luxury tourism began to take shape in some African countries in the 1970s and 1980s, some experts predict that it is only now — amid its growing interest and development — that it risks becoming a driver of inequality. That is how Pritish Behuria, PhD in social sciences and researcher and lecturer at the Global Development Institute at the University of Manchester, explains it in a recent study published in the university’s African Studies Review.

“There is an international consensus in favor of luxury tourism [as a solution to the effects of mass tourism], and many countries are moving in that direction despite the criticism it receives,” says Behuria in a video call interview with this newspaper.

“The danger of luxury tourism is that it’s marketed as a moral necessity for society. They use the idea that if there are fewer tourists spending more in your country, the ecological impact will be lower,” adds Behuria, who argues — drawing on other studies — that this kind of traveler also generates a significant environmental footprint through private flight emissions.

Based on his analysis of Mauritius, Rwanda, and Botswana, the researcher argues that high-end and luxury tourism fuels social inequity. Lodgings are often owned by foreign companies which, while creating local jobs, usually do so in low-skilled positions.

Isabella Roberts, director of Programs and Innovation at the Africa Policy Research Institute, reached the same conclusion after analyzing the case of Zanzibar, an island in Tanzania, where tourism is the main source of income and creates up to 60,000 jobs. “The lowest-paid jobs in the tourism sector, such as waiters and tour guides, are often held by locals, but local representation in management positions is limited,” Roberts explained to EL PAÍS via email, adding that the training needed for higher-paying jobs is too expensive for many locals.

A high-end site in Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe.Hemis / Alamy Stock Photo (Alamy Stock Photo)

The University of Manchester study also highlights that “all-inclusive” travel packages prevent tourists from spending money in small local businesses. “Luxury tourism could be a driver of development if it were linked to the growth of other sectors, such as agriculture or industry. The problem is that it must meet very high global standards,” the study argues, explaining that most countries are not prepared to provide services and products at those levels and therefore opt to import them.

This challenge has also been noted by industry promoters. Africa Travel Week (ATW), a networking platform for tourism professionals, acknowledges in its 2025 trends report that “much of Africa’s ‘wellness’ industry leans on Westernized luxury rather than Indigenous healing traditions.”

As a result, local knowledge, workers, and inputs produced on the continent are not sufficiently harnessed. “This overreliance on European skincare isn’t about consumer preference — it’s pure business strategy,“ the report adds. ”Unfortunately, this often means local botanical producers — who offer equally (if not more) effective natural remedies — struggle to gain traction in Africa’s own high-end resorts.”

Another problem, Behuria adds, is that luxury tourism is built on “enclaves” — large resorts or specific attractions such as beaches or national parks that are cut off from local life and capture the visitor within them, leaving little room for spending beyond the set itinerary.

According to research by Peter Dieke, author of numerous studies on tourism in developing countries, enclave tourism means that foreign travelers prepay for their “all-inclusive” stays and that only between 20% and 45% of their holiday spending remains in Africa.

Education and community-led tourism

“In an ideal world, it would be logical for the destination to be ready for its people and entrepreneurs to provide the services. When that’s not the case, we have to import them,” acknowledges Bayona, the director of UNWTO.

For this reason, she adds, this United Nations agency works on training projects, certification in sustainable tourism for young people, and support for local entrepreneurship and community tourism. Bayona mentions initiatives such as introducing tourism as a subject in the last two years of secondary school and a degree in sustainable tourism with the University of Lucerne.

“We have developed the community tourism program in countries like Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Morocco, and Nigeria. We are helping all of them develop their skills and encouraging operators to include locally rooted, high-quality tourism packages,” she explains.

Naledi K. Khabo, executive director of the African Tourism Partnership, which brings together 15 African government departments and hundreds of businesses, believes the University of Manchester study “raises an important issue,” but clarifies that some destinations are already working to increase local sourcing, leverage the national workforce, and foster community-based tourism businesses.

“There is a growing trend toward public-private partnerships in which a portion of tourism revenue is allocated to conservation, education, or community infrastructure,” says Khabo in a written response to this newspaper. “Luxury travelers themselves are showing a growing preference for authentic and socially responsible travel, which is pushing operators to engage more deeply with communities.”

However, Behuria fears that efforts to support community initiatives are not enough to make them competitive in markets dominated by large foreign companies. “We need to focus less on inviting high-end foreign hotels or overseas-based travel agencies, and more on using local resources,” he says.

In his research, Behuria highlights that countries such as Mauritius — an icon of luxury tourism and the second most visited country in sub-Saharan Africa — and Botswana are working to reduce dependence on luxury-seeking foreign tourists and instead aiming to diversify their attractions, positioning themselves also as venues for conferences and events.

Roberts also points to good practices in Botswana, South Africa, and Kenya, which have introduced a tourism tax to support sustainable tourism development. “That revenue is then used for conservation initiatives, tourism infrastructure development, and community-based tourism initiatives,” she explains. Roberts adds that visitors can also drive change by choosing locally owned accommodations, restaurants, and tourism businesses whenever possible.

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