Tourism reviving in both Africa and Japan

2016 seems to be a resurgent year for the tourism industry in Africa and Japan

As the Ebola outbreak in western Africa in 2014 has seriously affected tourism on the continent, tour operators are now reporting that in 2016 the industry here is set to begin recovery, with tourists feeling safe again while travelling to the area.

“2016 has so far been a solid rebound year, and together with the weak South Africa rand, sales for travel to southern Africa are doing particularly well for us. With a generally stable political climate and good value for money, we hope to see this increase even further,” Jeff Russill, VP of G Adventures declared.

When it comes to numbers, bookings for southern and eastern Africa have increased by 40% and 10% respectively, when compared to the same period of 2015. One explanation for the high demand could be the Zika virus outbreak that is keeping tourists away from South and Central America and also the recent terror attacks in Brussels and Paris that stave off tourists from Europe.

Japan, on the other hand, is similarly growing interest for tourists worldwide, following the 2011 devastating earthquake and tsunami which left more than 15.000 people dead and triggered a 62% decrease in foreign visits.

Ryoichi Matsuyama, president of the Japan National Tourism Organization, reported that in 2015 19.7 million tourists visited Japan, shedding high hopes for the country's tourism industry to slowly become the leading destination in Asia.