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INSIDE AFRICA

Africa's Tourism Industry

Aired May 19, 2007 - 12:30:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

FEMI OKE, HOST: I'm Femi Oke, and you're watching INSIDE AFRICA, from the Lesedi cultural village in Johannesburg.
Hello, Baba. Nice to meet you. You'd be seeing - thank you so much -- you'll be seeing more of this great men later in the program.

Come this way. Today we're going to take you on a tour around some of the tourist destinations in the African continent, as we explore travel and its latest trends in Africa.

As the global rates of tourism in Africa has grown twice as much as any other region around the world, and here in South Africa - well, it's one of the top five worldwide tourists destinations.

But we're going to start in Angola, a country that has beautiful beaches and wildlife, a rich culture and heritage as well, but because of the civil war, virtually no tourism. And that's something the government is working on.

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OKE: Check out the bustling beaches, the gorgeous scenery and colorful culture. It looks like a prime tourist destination. This is Angola, formerly known as war-torn Angola. It's looking a little different nowadays. Just five years after the end of its 27-year civil war, the country is trying to entice visitors.

Former presidential candidate Eduardo Chingunji has channeled his passion for Angola into selling it.

EDUARDO CHINGUNJI, ANGOLA MINISTER OF HOTELS AND TOURISM: We're a country that is blessed with natural beauty. We have perhaps one of the longest coasts in Africa, with wonderful beaches. This is the place where people can do things like scuba dive. This is the place people can come for the sun.

OKE: At the weekend in Rwanda, the place to be seen is Miami Beach, but don't pack your swim suit quite yet.

CHINGUNJI: We cannot, when you talk about traditional chores, coming from abroad, if we don't have (inaudible), we don't have a good health system, we don't have a good quality potable water, and electricity 24 (inaudible).

OKE: While building work is frenetic, the government actually goes out of its way to discourage tourists from visiting. Getting a visa is difficult, and there's a chronic shortage of hotel rooms.

CHINGUNJI: For tourists who want to come here, we have to be realistic. We - I do not right now need to have a million tourists coming here in Angola.

OKE: At Miami Beach, the visitors are usually local or here for business, like Wayne (ph) who is in Luanda on oil business and at the beach for a team meeting.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There is certainly lots of things to do here. I mean, here we are, sitting on a beautiful beach, and, you know, in the afternoon, Sunday, enjoying - enjoying our day.

OKE: Across the city, there is a reminder of how much work remains to be done. No cocktails at sunset there for the residents of the Terra Nova slum. It's this side of Angola that bothers economist Dr. Justino.

DR. JUSTINO PINDO DE ADNRADE, ECONOMIST (through translator): Tourism investment will take time. It will take a long time, I can promise you, because when you want to attract a tourist to your country, you have to create decent conditions for your own people first.

OKE: If all goes to plan, Angola's tourism industry will be open for business just in time to host the Africa Nations Cup Football tournament in 2010.

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OKE: Some holiday destinations are already thriving like Kenya's popular Masai Mara National Reserve, but the park's reputation for being a top holiday spot could be the very thing that ruins the beauty that once made it famous. Marie Lora reports.

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MARIE LORA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The Masai Mara, with its roaming wildlife, is one of Kenya's prime tourists destinations. Last year, a U.S. television show named the park the seventh new wonder of the world, an honor pegged to the annual migration of more than 1.5 million wildebeest and zebra that plod from the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania into Kenya's Masai Mara during the dry season. The publicity is resulting in a new surge of interest in the reserve.

DUNCAN MURIOKI, KENYA ASSOCIATION OF TOUR OPERATION: We got a lot more inquires from the (inaudible) tour operators are there, and the clients as well.

LORA: The park opens its doors to some 3,000 visitors each year. And those who have already experienced the Mara agree it deserves all the attention.

ERIN POTIS, AMERICAN TOURIST: It's something that many people may not know about, which they should, because it's absolutely breathtaking.

STEVE BLISSETT, BRITISH TOURIST: You're in an area that's conserved, and it's virgin land, I suppose. It's never changed.

LORA: But it's precisely this natural beauty that could be at risk. Officials at the reserve are concerned that the growing number of tourists could endanger the Mara's delicate ecosystem.

MICHAEL KOIKAI, MASSAI MARA NATIONAL RESERVIE: Some of the impacts associated with tourism in the Mara are issues related to animal harassment, the driving off the road, which results in vegetation destruction.

LORA: It's a difficult dilemma. Tourism is the fastest growing sector in Kenya's economy, and is directly, or indirectly, responsible for creating about half a million jobs.

And for the Masai community which lives in the reserve, tourism often provides the only income.

JACKSON LEPORE, MASSAI VILLAGER: A small income we get from them we can use for buying school uniform, and so (inaudible).

LORA: Several investors have already approached the reserve with offers to build more lodges and facilities, but Kenya's tourism authorities say the way forward is not to increase the number of tourists, but the standing of the Mara.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Up the service, up the quality of the product and improve the environment, and charge a little bit more. Let Mara be an exotic destination for those that can afford it.

LORA: A study is under way to determine how much more can be built without diminishing the reserve's natural beauty and damaging the ecology.

In the meantime, a moratorium has been placed on any new development, to ensure that the Mara's original inhabitants remain a priority -- the same inhabitants that are the core of the lure and the magic of the park.

Marie Lora, for CNN, Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya.

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OKE: Safaris are becoming one of the most profitable tourist activities in Africa. In recent years, the industry is turning to a multimillion-dollar business.

The majority of those heading on safaris are European, followed closely by Americans and Asians. Big-game safaris are the most popular, but specialty safaris are also emerging. Bird safaris are, for example, popular here in South Africa, which is home to almost 800 of the nearly 1,000 birds species found on the subcontinent.

Coming up on INSIDE AFRICA: It's exotic and mysterious, but to some prospective tourists, perhaps a little bit too mysterious. We head to Libya after the break to find out what the country has to offer and how it's going to change its image. Stay with us.

Africa's tourist attractions include everything from wild life to natural beauty, in influence and culture. In East Africa, the plains of the Serengeti stretch over both Kenya and Tanzania, boasting the largest migration of animals in the world twice each year.

Next door in Uganda, chimpanzees and gorillas offer some of the best primate viewing in the world.

To the west, there's Mali, with its culturally rich heritage and beautiful cliffside villages.

In Zambia, Victoria Falls, which is said to be the largest sheets of falling water in the world.

And to the south in Botswana, at the Okavango Delta, there's a labyrinth of lagoons, lakes, and even canals, home to lions, cheetahs, leopards, elephants and rhinos.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Coca-Cola is lobbying the government of Kenya to reduce taxes and duties on raw material. The company says operations in eastern-central Africa are hampered by high taxes and other cost-related constraints. Coca-Cola is a major regional player in the region's soft- drink industry.

(inaudible) in the Niger Delta are forcing company Shell Petroleum to shut production of some 170,000 barrels of oil per day. Shell could issue a force-majeur in oil exports if it's unable to deliver according to contract.

The Holiday Inn says it's opening its first branch in South Africa, Johannesburg's southwestern townships. The hotel, which will be located in Johannesburg, will be the first four-star hotel in the area.

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OKE: Hello again. You're watching INSIDE AFRICA, from the Lesedi cultural village just outside of Johannesburg.

Desert sounds, beaches, ancient ruins and excellent cuisine. Libya seems to have it all, but to much of the world it also has a less than favorable image. No wonder the country is trying to change. Shahira Amin reports from Tripoli.

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SHAHIRA AMIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Libya is opening its stores to the world, and the world is slowly beginning to trickle in. Around the country, the towering images of Libya's leader are gradually being replaced by ads for consumer products, a sign perhaps that the winds of change are flowing in this long-isolated North-African country.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tourism is a large income industry. It's -- Libya will benefit.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's going to be a very good for the country. It's going to create a lot of jobs.

AMIN: Libyan officials agree. Describing tourism as Libya's greatest untapped resource, Libya's deputy minister of tourism, Orebe Nazus (ph) told us, Libya hopes to raise the number of tourists from 350,000 annually to 3 million within the next three years -- quite an ambitious undertaking.

GOMAA ABUL KHAIR, EGYPT FOREIGN PRESS OFFICE: We have quite pretty important tourism resources. We have the archeological sites, which they are spread in most of the coast of Libya.

AMIN: Libya has five sites on UNESCO's World Heritage List. Among them, this, the ancient Roman city of Leptis Magna, founded in the 10th century B.C.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I heard a lot about the history of Libya, and, you know, because of my Greek origins, I was interested to come and see all the archeological sites. And looking around here, it looks amazing, how well- preserved the places are.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Still, we think about Libya like a country of oil and desert, but people that like to travel, they know that Libya is a very beautiful country to visit.

AMIN: Besides well-preserved Roman and Greek ruins, dating back thousands of years, Libya also offers visitors sun-drenched beaches and desert safaris.

Despite Libya's efforts to promote tourism, it may be a while yet before the tourists start flocking to Libya. The lack of adequate infrastructure to support the country's fledgling tourism industry is one reason.

Renovation is under way to upgrade many of Libya's older hotels and resorts, which remain in bad shape after years of neglect. Another problem is customer service for tourists. Credit cards are still not widely accepted, and only a handful of shops carry this welcome sign familiar in most other tourist hotspots.

Some visitors, such as this group from New Zealand, enjoying a traditional meal of stuffed squid, also complained of problems getting into the country.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's hard with getting into here because of the visa difficulties. Getting a visa takes a long time.

AMIN: But the biggest obstacle to growth and tourism may be Libya's poor human rights record, and its reputation as a pariah state. The question is, whether, or for how long they will outweigh Libya's many charms.

For INSIDE AFRICA, Shahira Amin, Libya.

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OKE: Africa has a lot to offer visitors, but as you've just seen, there's still room for improvement. Earlier, we spoke to an expert about the status and future of African tourism.

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NEEF INAMDAR, ECOTOURISM ADVISOR CONSERVATION INT: I think ecotourism is driving the majority of the growth in Africa. It's the - it's the interest in nature, it's the interest in the people, and investor countries, national tourist places (ph) are all really seeking to tap into that. It's a huge demand in the West, and it's a great asset that is basically free in many ways in many of these countries, and they're trying to make the most of that.

OKE: If there is an undiscovered gem or an undiscovered region in Africa as far as potential for tourism is concerned, where would you point your finger at?

INAMDAR: Right now, I would point my finger at Madagascar. Over 90 percent of the wildlife only exists on Madagascar. The country has tripled its protected area network, and they're trying very hard to develop a thriving eco-tourism industry. The industry, the government, the people are really trying to get behind this drive. And we've seen the doubling of visitor numbers in Madagascar in the last three years alone.

Africa is probably one of the friendliest and warmest continents I've ever visited. The people are absolutely amazing. It's well-worth anyone's time and effort to get out there and meet the local people and see the local culture and really look at how people live with wildlife. It's how we lived thousands of years ago, as an early human race, and it's a unique opportunity. Don't be afraid of what we don't know.

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OKE: There's more to come on INSIDE AFRICA. Just ahead, we tour the world's largest slum. We head to Kenya to take a look at this controversial tourist attraction. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

OKE: Around the world, curious tourists are venturing into some of the most infamous slums, looking at street children in India, favelas in Brazil, and the slums of Kenya, to get a first-hand view of poverty. Christian Purefoy reports from Kenya on this controversial practice.

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CHRISTIAN PUREFOY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A guided tour through one of East Africa's largest slums. Increasingly, tourists are stepping off the beaten track of wildlife life tourism to experience this: Kenya's Kibera slum.

ILSE MARTINS, DUTCH TOURIST: It's both positive and negative, I think. It's positive because the people are happy and they live as a family, and they work together and they work hard. And they don't look like they have a hard life, but on the other side when you see the garbage and all the mess around and dirty children, and it's also negative, I think.

PUREFOY: Kibera should satisfy anyone's curiosity about slum life. The size of New York City Central Park, it is home to more than half a million people. With little access to water or sanitation, it is a dangerous mix of sewage and disease.

KEVIN WATKINS, U.N.HUMAN DEVELOPMENT REPORT: You've got some of the highest death rates among children that you'll find in Africa right here, in this place where we are now. Something like six out of 10 children don't live to the age of five.

PUREFOY: Most slum tourists are unofficial. But tour operator James Ashudi is so confident of the rising interest that he wants to offer an official tour through his company Victoria Safaris.

JAMES ASHUDI, VICTORIA SAFARIS: The (inaudible) tourism is a new concept here. The first people to participate should be the locals. Let's the locals know their backyards.

The foreigners should come, but I prefer the local people to know their country better.

In Nairobi, most people don't even know how the slums look like.

PUREFOY: Kibera has seen its share of foreign dignitaries, from former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, U.S. comedian Chris Rock, and many others.

But the idea of slum tourism is proving rather controversial, and critics say that while the voyeuristic tours encourage hope, they deliver, in fact, little change.

An editorial in Kenya's leading newspaper, the "Daily Nation," sarcastically reads, "It's the rave spot in Kenya. For where else can one see it all in one simple stop? The AIDS victims dying slowly on a cold cardboard bed, the breastless teenager selling her wares because she must feed the siblings, plastic-eating goats fighting small children for waste heaps, the communal water taps, running sewage?"

ASHUDI: I'll be coming with more visitors. Next time, we may have foreign visitors.

PUREFOY: Ashudi insists his tours will help people living in the slums, because they hire local drivers and guides. He also says $30 of the $50 tour cost is spent buying food and other necessities, which tourists then hand out in the slums.

So far, the Kenya Tourism Ministry is refusing to allow James to set up the tours. But desperate for work, some local slum dwellers say they welcome it, as long as it's done responsibly.

PETER OKOLA, COMMUNITY LEADER, KIBERA SLUM: So we are appealing to those tourists, when they are doing their activities here, we want them to leave something back for these poor people to eat.

PUREFOY: And sometimes, that something is light relief of the tourists themselves becoming the attraction.

Christian Purefoy, CNN, Nairobi, Kenya.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

OKE: You know, I come up here to South Africa without introducing you to some of the people who make up the rainbow nation. This is Grace (ph), this is Flora (ph). Look at their concentration as they're doing their beading. Not even I can interrupt them.

They're from the Mapedi (ph) tribe, but there are so many more to talk about. How are we going to do that in just a few minutes? I guess it's time to take a tour of Lesedi cultural village.

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OKE: It's a theme park that takes you on a whirlwind trip through some of South Africa's tribal history. At the Lesedi cultural village just outside of Johannesburg, you can catch a Zulu war dance. And at the Pedi homestead, take in a fresh smell of cow manure used to polish the floor.

BABA DIAMINI, PR MANAGER, LESEDI CULTURAL VILLAGE: Here in southern Africa, we can play around with cow dung, because our cattle only eats grass. But in some other places, the cattle eat what? Maize. And anything that is maize, the dung is smelly.

OKE: That's Baba Diamini, the charismatic storyteller who guides the tourists. In just over two hours, he teaches you about five of South Africa's tribes.

DIAMINI: It is the Ndebeles, the Zulus, the Sothos, the Xhosa and the Pedi people.

Can you say "njaani (ph)?"

OKE: Part of the appeal of coming to a cultural village is that you get a little insight into the lives of many tribes, but all in one location. Wander around, and you're likely to spot Adja (ph) warriors practicing their moves, and bump into real working livestock.

DIAMINI: If you look out for a stone, then you put some part of you onto it. Then you must throw it to the pile there.

OKE: And when Baba explains the Zulu tradition of spitting on a stone just before a long journey to bring you good luck, even the tiniest tourists couldn't resist joining in.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I really, really liked it. I thought it was very authentic, and they had lots of information.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The setting is great. The people are all very friendly, and you know, in a very good mood.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was pretty dubious about it, actually, because it is a tourist attraction, and - but I did enjoy it.

OKE: With just over $40 a person, tourists get an easily digestible slice of South African culture, and sometimes you get to be the entertainment.

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OKE: Well, that's our look INSIDE AFRICA for this week. Thank you so much for watching. I'm Femi Oke. Until the next time, take care.

END

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