Tourism in Africa is facing an image crisis which can be remedied by promoting the country in regional blocs rather than individual countries, according to some of the continent's leading tourism experts.

Speaking at the recent World Export Development Forum in Kigali, Rwanda, experts assessed the stereotypes and negative connotations about the continent, arguing that the idea of using collective blocs could encourage more tourists to visit the continent.

The ongoing Ebola crisis has now infected more than 10,000 people, with practically all of those infected within the three west African countries worst hit. Outside of those countries – Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone – only 10 deaths and 27 cases have been reported, but bookings to Africa are down none-the-less, with east Africa’s safari trade reporting as much as a 70 per cent decrease in bookings.

“Seychelles did not face the Ebola epidemic like some countries in West Africa did. Not even our neighbours faced Ebola. However, tourists to our country have decreased,” said Alain St. Ange, Seychelles minister for Tourism and Culture, speaking at the event.

“Many people in the West still harbour ignorant opinions about Africa and they do not define us according to our borderlines. We may have our national tourism brands intact, but we need to develop regional brands to attract tourists and to counter the negative beliefs of some people who think that an epidemic in one part can affect the entire continent.”

Gambia’s minister for trade and integration, Abdou Jobe, echoed these sentiments, stating that nations should not compete for tourists since they share similar natural and social attractions.

“We need to groom the African cake and present it to the world,” he said. “Before we ask others to come visit us, we should first carry out visits among ourselves. We should first appreciate our natural and biodiversity attractions before the rest of the world does.”

Rwanda, Uganda and Kenya recently formed one such bloc, starting an initiative to allow a single tourist visa to enter each of the three countries. UNWTO’s chair of World Committee on Tourism Ethics, Pascal Lamy, praised the move, stating that other public authorities in Africa should now “follow suit so that life can be made easier for tourists.”

Ebola virus fears send Africa safari bookings plummeting