Challenges of Ecotourism in Africa: The state of the art

• Author(s): Cossengue, Paulino Ricardo ; Fraiz Brea, José Antonio ; Tavares, Fernando Oliveira
• Date: 2025
• Persistent ID: Cossengue, P. R., Fraiz Brea, J. A., & Tavares, F. O. (2025). Challenges of Ecotourism in Africa: The state of the art. In B. B. Sousa, L. Arantes, & S. Bhartiya (Eds.), Regenerative Tourism for Social Development, (pp. 65-92). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/979-8-3373-0235-5.ch004. Repositório Institucional UPT. https://hdl.handle.net/11328/6232
• Origin: Repositório da Universidade Portucalense
• Subject(s): Ecotourism; Africa; Ciências Sociais - Economia e Gestão
• Document Type: Book part
• Language: English

Description

This article reviews the challenges of ecotourism in Africa, analyzing regional disparities through a literature-based approach. It examines the sector's demand and supply dynamics and divides the African market into Northern, Central, and Southern blocks, selecting representative countries for each region. Despite Africa's vast natural potential for ecotourism, significant constraints persist, varying by region. In the North, issues arise from strategy deficiencies and imbalanced power structures. Central Africa grapples with basic infrastructural crises, such as inadequate accommodations, electricity, and water, often linked to corruption and poor governance. In the South, challenges include underutilization of natural resources, civil conflicts, and politicized institutions, which hinder private sector initiatives. These findings highlight the complex, region-specific barriers that impede ecotourism development across the continent.