Tourism is an importanteconomic sector for many countries inAfrica. There are many countries that benefit heavily fromtourism like Kenya,Uganda,Algeria,Egypt,South Africa,Morocco,Tunisia,Ghana andTanzania.[1] The touristic particularity ofAfrica lies in the wide variety of points of interest, diversity andmultitudes of landscapes as well as therich cultural heritage. Also, anecotourist industry is present in someAfrican countries (e.g.,South Africa,Kenya,Namibia,Rwanda,Zambia,Uganda,Mozambique, etc.).[2]
Countries in Africa started investing in their tourism markets since the late 1960s and 1970s and are at different levels of tourism development. Countries in the continent of Africa are typically categorized using Butler's 1980 Tourist Area Life Cycle (TALC) model which is a common model that describes six specific stages of tourism development for all countries worldwide: exploration, involvement, development, consolidation and stagnation.[3]
However, a World Bank study in 2011 classified also African countries in to 4 categories based on performance. These performance groupings were based on indicators such as business environment; tourism regulation, infrastructure, resources, tourism income, number of visitors and the potential growth of the market.
Ecotourism is the concept of responsible trips and travel to areas that might be protected and especially fragile. The intent is to create as little detrimental impact on theenvironment as possible. In some locations (such asGorongosa National Park) where thewildlife has previously been decimated,rewilding has been done and much of thewildlife has been brought back (along withvegetation, thus allowing theenvironment tosequester more carbon than what was previously the case). This return ofwildlife has createdtourism opportunities (wildlife viewing,safari trips) allowing for to bringing in of financialrevenue. It also requires personnel such aspark rangers, to be present, thus creating localemployment opportunities.
Africa has many historic structures that have survived from ancient civilizations as well as more recent structures of interest to tourists. Ancient historical sites include thePyramids and temples in bothEgypt andSudan; TheObelisk of Axum from Ethiopia; the ruins of ancient Zimbabwe's trading city,Great Zimbabwe; and the Palace ofEmperor Fasilides in Ethiopia.[6][7][8][9][10][11]More recent structures that attract tourism includes the old slave castles in Ghana,Elmina Castle andCape Coast Castle, which are also sited for heritage tourism. It also includes the highest monument in the world, theAfrican Renaissance Monument in Senegal.[12][13]
Due to advance in technologies, techniques and practices and lower costs, Africa has experienced a surge inmedical tourism and health tourism. Countries that are destinations for medical and health tourism packages include Algeria, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Mauritius, Morocco, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania and Tunisia. The top destinations for European visitors include Egypt, Tunisia, and South Africa. South Africa is the top destination for both international tourists and regional tourists from other African countries.[14][15]
Africa has a rich history of tea cultivation which has given rise to several countries becoming growing tea tourism destinations. Malawi was the first country to grow tea in Africa, and it has many tea estates that are decades old. Countries like Morocco, Kenya, Malawi, and South Africa are large tea-producing countries that are frequented by tea tourists. South Africa's tea tourism market is focused on rooibos tea.[16][17]
All of the data presented here is from theWorld Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and from "ReviewingAfrica in the Global Tourism Economy."[18] The following table shows the number of arrivals in each country:
| Country[a] | Arrivals (2024) |
|---|---|
 Morocco | 17,500,000 |
 Egypt | 15,000,000 |
 Angola | 210,000 |
 Botswana | 1,559,000 |
 Burundi | 148,000 |
 Cameroon | 210,000 |
 Cape Verde | 198,000 |
 Democratic Republic of the Congo | 61,000 |
 Djibouti | 30,000 |
 Algeria | 4,244,000 |
 Eritrea | 83,000 |
 Gambia | 111,000 |
 Guinea | 45,000 |
 Lesotho | 304,000 |
 Mali | 143,000 |
 Mauritius | 934,827 (2020)[19] |
 São Tomé and Príncipe | 11,000 |
 Senegal | 769,000 |
 Seychelles | 129,000 |
 Sierra Leone | 40,000 |
 South Africa | 7,518,000 |
 Eswatini | 839,000 |
 Togo | 81,000 |
 Tunisia | 6,378,000 |
 Uganda | 1,468,000 (2017) |
 Zimbabwe | 1,559,000 |
The following map and data depict theincome fromtourism inUS dollar equivalent:
| Country[b] | Receipts (2020) in US$ |
|---|---|
| Botswana | $562,000,000 |
| Burundi | $2,000,000 |
| Cape Verde | $123,000,000 |
| Egypt | $16,851,000,000 |
| Eritrea | $66,000,000 |
 Kenya | $879,000,000 |
| Lesotho | $30,000,000 |
 Malawi | $26,000,000 |
| Morocco | $4,617,000,000 |
 Mozambique | $130,000,000 |
 Namibia | $348,000,000 |
 Reunion | $384,000,000 |
| Seychelles | $192,000,000 |
| Sierra Leone | $83,000,000 |
| South Africa | $7,327,000,000 |
 Sudan | $89,000,000 |
| Uganda | $1,400,000,000 |
| Tunisia | $2,063,000,000 |
 Tanzania | $4,468,000,000 |
| Zimbabwe | $1,559,000 |
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