As we approach the festive season, with reports of the Omicron virus limiting international travel for some countries, it is evident now more than ever that building our domestic and regional tourism market will be a stepping stone to increasing the African voice for conservation.

For Africans to begin playing an active role in conservation, we must be exposed to Africa’s benefits and the beauty African wildlife and wildlands have to offer.

Through domestic tourism, Africans will be able to have a clear insight into the numerous beauty and opportunities that Africa has to offer.

This is the reality that the pandemic revealed whilst international travel had been halted due to global government travel restrictions.

To enable domestic tourism to thrive, it is high time for a shift in mindset amongst tourism sector operators.

Whilst millions of Africans traverse the continent to travel for business, how can these numbers be translated to nature tourists?

With the most recent data released from UNCTAD indicating that four out of 10 international tourists in Africa come from the continent itself, it begs the question, is our product marketing also catering to the four Africans?

The answer is all in product offering and alternate services. As a sector, there are 1,3 billion Africans who are yet to discover what Africa truly has to offer.

We need to start making tourism more accessible and inexpensive for Africans to begin considering it.

Currently, it is easier for someone in New York or Sydney to book a tour to Africa than someone living in Harare or Lagos.

There is need for repackaging and revamped marketing of reasonable holiday offers beyond peak season that will appeal to both the growing African middle and lower income households.

Additionally, African governments need to readjust and implement policies that will ease free travel within Africa.

For domestic and more so regional tourism to be practical, we need to revisit travel visa requirements and open the sky with less air travel regulations for Africans.

Continental and intraregional tourism in Africa is increasing and offers opportunities for economic and export diversification if its potential is exploited at the national and regional levels.

African countries would benefit if they made further progress with the free movement of persons, currency convertibility and liberalising air transport services.

This would facilitate greater access to tourism destinations and boost the competitiveness of destinations.

It also requires regional economic communities and countries to comprehensively plan for intraregional and continental tourism.

We must all agree that a raft of policy interventions and measures should be put in place both in the immediate and medium term to ensure that the sector recovers back to the pre-Covid-19 levels.

The pandemic has exposed numerous gaps and opportunities we need to embrace on a larger scale and key among them is technological innovation.

The market is ripe for niche packages that offer long stay options for tourists who work remotely.

If internet access and infrastructure is improved especially within tourist destinations, this facility will carve out a market that will catapult tourism numbers.

Covid-19 has opened doors for virtual tours, and this can be option, if built upon, to enable showcasing of tour sites that have become inaccessible due to various reasons.

Through digital marketing across social media platforms, the African youth — who are the majority, will be easily exposed to the market options across Africa — hence tapping a new audience.

With technology, the opportunities to expand the growth of the sector beyond reliance on international tourism are endless.

As economies and governments begin to reopen and adjust their budgets through post covid strategies, the discussions and decisions that will be made in the next few months will be crucial to determining the future of conservation.

Festus Mogae is a Board Trustee Member, African Wildlife Foundation