Travel blogging: ‘A new frontier for tourism growth in Africa’ — Brothers from Ghana

African governments have been presented with a unique opportunity to boost tourism and reap associated economic benefits through strategic promotion of the fast-growing travel blogging space on the continent.

In an interview with Isaac Donkor Distinguished, Kwabena Daa-Hene of the popular Ghanaian travel blogging duo "Brothers from Ghana" asserted that governments "can leverage travel blogging to boost tourism."

The travel enthusiasts, who turned their travel hobby into a full-fledged career, explained that travel content creation has helped put local destinations and cultures in the global spotlight.

“Through travel content creators Africans have realised how beautiful, unique and rich the continent is and now feel very proud of it," Kwabena said.

The tourism industry is considered an economic goldmine for many African countries.

It was worth $168.2 billion to the continent in 2023, accounting for nearly 8% of its GDP, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council.

Given this, the practitioners are of the view that the untapped potential is enormous.

However, authorities are yet to optimally leverage new media platforms like travel blogging that have taken tourism promotion by storm.

“We will say yes because gone are the days when there’re nothing to feel proud of online as Africans."

The benefits of the sector including job creation, infrastructure growth, cultural exchange and revenue generation make a compelling case for government support.

If nurtured well, travel blogging can put the continent on the global tourism map, driving socio-economic returns for decades to come.