Africa "well placed" to increase share of global tourism market

INDABA 2002, a tourism showcase sponsored by South African Tourism, will be held at the International Conference and Exhibition Centre in Durban from May 11–14, highlighting the growing importance of one of the country's biggest growth industries.

At UCT, the event has also highlighted UCT's own postgraduate Diploma in Tourism Management at the School of Management Studies in the Commerce Faculty. The Faculty recently hosted Dr Peter Dieke from the University of Strathclyde in Scotland, the previous academic home of the Faculty's Dean, Professor Doug Pitt.

Dieke presented a paper on Africa in the Global Tourism Economy to an audience of academics and several Western Cape tourism stakeholders. Richard George, lecturer and convenor of the Diploma, said Dieke's core message was that Africa is well placed to increase its share of the global tourism market. "However, he said there needed to be a co-ordinated effort across the various African regions, guided by sound policy and strategic development in order for tourism to be sustainable."

Dieke hails from Nigeria but has been living and working in the United Kingdom for the past 15 years. He has made a significant contribution to research in the area of tourism development in Africa.

"Although the tourism section in the School of Management Studies is very small in terms of staff, the Tourism Management diploma is becoming increasingly popular with postgraduate students from across the country," George added. "The possibility of establishing more formal links with the University of Strathclyde is imminent."

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