
<p>ASSIN MANSO, GHANA (Reuters) &#8211; In a clearing at the turnoff to Assin Manso, a billboard depicts two African slaves in loincloths, their arms and legs in chains. Beside them are the words, “Never Again!”</p>



<p>This is “slave river,” where captured Ghanaians submitted to a final bath before being shipped across the Atlantic into slavery centuries ago, never to return to the land of their birth. Today, it is a place of somber homecoming for the descendants of those who spent their lives as someone else’s property.</p>



<p>The popularity of the site has swelled this year, 400 years after the trade in Africans to the English colonies of America began. This month’s anniversary of the first Africans to arrive in Virginia has caused a rush of interest in ancestral tourism, with people from the United States, the Caribbean and Europe seeking out their roots in West Africa.</p>



<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;“Ten years ago, no one went to the slave river, but this year has been massive,” said Awuracy Butler, who runs a company called Butler Tours.</p>



<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She said business has nearly doubled this year, which has been touted as the Year of Return for the African diaspora tracing their family history. The number of tourists has forced her to hire more vehicles, she said.</p>



<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;“Everyone wants to add the slave river to their tour,” she said. The coastal forts where they spent their last days in Ghana in suffocating conditions are also increasingly popular, she said.</p>



<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The increase in tourism has been an economic boon for Ghana, which unlike other West African countries has aggressively marketed its “heritage” offerings for the anniversary.</p>



<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Officials see it as an opportunity to entice some much-needed foreign investment into the economy, dogged in recent years by high inflation and public debt that has needed an International Monetary Fund lending program to fix.</p>



<p>The Ghana Tourism Authority expects 500,000 visitors this year, up from 350,000 in 2018. Of those, 45,000 are estimated to be seeking their ancestral roots, a 42% increase from last year.</p>



<p>On a recent day in the capital, Accra, a delegation of tribal elders and a representative of the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre welcomed a tour group at a hotel in the city.</p>



<p>At an event in a low-ceilinged hotel conference room, the tour guide encouraged the visitors to sing a hymn in a local language, gently chiding them for not yet knowing the tune. “You are Ghanaians now,” he said.</p>



<p>Members of the group, who were mostly African American, went up to the front one by one to pose with a smiling tourism ministry official or one of the robe-clad elders as they received an official certificate of participation. The investment representative launched into a lengthy power-point presentation focused on the need for investment in Ghana’s cocoa sector and the minimum capital requirements for joint ventures.</p>



<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;With an average spend of $1,850 per tourist, the tourism authority expects this year’s revenues to top $925 million, a 50% increase from 2018, which it hopes to sustain over the next three years at least.</p>



<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The amount is dwarfed by Ghana’s $2-billion cocoa industry but is considered essential in a country of 28 million people who mostly live in poverty.</p>



<p>Anthony Bouadi, a tour guide at Cape Coast Castle, a fortress where the captives were kept until they were sent on ships over the Atlantic, said he believes the site will change the lives of those who visit.</p>



<p>“The moment you get to know your history, it is going to change you,” he said. “We are encouraging our brothers and sisters from the U.S., from the Caribbean from Europe to come back to their Motherland Africa to get to know the culture … and whatever the ancestors went through.”</p>



<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The surge of visitors is part of a global phenomenon: Airbnb data shows a five-fold increase in people travelling to places connected to their ancestry worldwide since 2014.</p>



<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;U.S. genetics company African Ancestry says its sales of DNA tests tripled after last year’s release of the superhero film “Black Panther,” an Afro-centric blockbuster with a predominantly black cast. The company is launching an ancestry-based travel service later this year.</p>



<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;To make the most of the moment, Ghana will host a mass “ancestry reveal” on Friday. More than 80 African American participants, including the head of the NAACP, will learn their genetic history, touted as the largest ceremony of its kind in Africa’s history.</p>



<p>Ghana has long encouraged its diaspora to return and has strong links with the African American community. Malcolm X visited in the 1960s and spent time with the American poet and civil rights activist Maya Angelou, who lived there at the time.&nbsp;The prominent black writer and activist W.E.B. Du Bois settled and died in Ghana. Since, many other ordinary African American families have returned.</p>



<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; But questions remain about whether the heightened interest in Ghana can be sustained after the anniversary. Bad roads, a cumbersome visa application process and expensive flights could stem the number of visitors in the long term.&nbsp;</p>



<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;“The government has a huge responsibility,” said Peter Appiah, head of research and publicity at the Centre for National Culture in Kumasi, Ghana’s second-largest city.</p>



<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;“If we want to sustain this tempo,” he said, “then we need to do a lot more in terms of social infrastructure.”</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;MASSIVE YEAR</h3>



<p>At Assin Manso, a group of visitors removed their shoes and walked barefoot down a path to the muddy river that runs through a bamboo grove.</p>



<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Together they placed their hands in the water, then waded in to offer prayers in thanks for the opportunity to return.</p>



<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; “I can’t even get my head around people coming from a land like this and being snatched,” said Miriam Allen, a 62-year-old retired urban planner from New York, clutching a box of tissues and choking back tears.</p>



<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;“This is a good place and a bad place. A good place to know your ancestors, but to know what those white people did to us. I can’t …” she said, breaking off.</p>



<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; On most tours, Assin Manso marks one of the final stops on a country-wide swing in which groups take part in Ashanti rituals, meet local chiefs and trace the gruelling route captured slaves took from the country’s northern hinterland out to the coast.</p>



<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The forts that still dot Ghana’s coast are a reminder of what slaves endured.</p>



<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;At the Cape Coast Castle, rusted old cannons point out to sea from the ramparts, angled skyward, away from locals playing football on the beach below.</p>



<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The government is committed to its upkeep &#8211; on a recent visit, workers were repainting the high white walls.</p>



<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;In forts like this one, slaves experienced their last days on African soil crammed in steaming-hot dungeons without light &#8211; and where tourists are now returning in droves.</p>



<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;“I have seen a lot of people &#8211; they really are coming,” said Bouadi, the guide at the castle, who now does up to six tours a day compared with three last year. Each tour has doubled in size, he said, to around 40 people.</p>



<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He tries to help his family when he can, using the extra money he earns to pay their water and electricity bills.</p>



<p>“Tourism organisations in Ghana are having to hire more people,” he said. “If people earn more, they can pay for school fees; it boosts the local economy and reduces poverty.”</p>



<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Ghana’s efforts stand in stark contrast to other West African countries with rich histories of their own that are little known outside the continent.</p>



<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Despite a collection of slave sites, including the picturesque but haunting Goree Island, where tourists can visit old slave quarters and its “door of no return,” Senegal does not appear to have harnessed the potential like Ghana. Neither has Benin or Nigeria.</p>



<p>In Nigeria, the main sites commemorating the slave trade are three small museums along a road in the coastal town of Badagry. Artefacts including chains used to shackle slaves are spread across the museums, two of which are small single-story buildings with corrugated iron roofs.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Foreign tourists are rare at the site, and a large proportion of visitors are schoolchildren on tours. The poor state of local roads, dotted with potholes, make it hard to visit Badagry: The 65-kilometer (40-mile) journey from the country’s largest city, Lagos, takes around three hours.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; “As far as I know, only Ghana has made such a significant effort in terms of programmes and activities,” said Shanelle Haile, a doctoral student at Brown University in Rhode Island who was in Ghana to study diaspora engagement surrounding the anniversary.</p>



<p>&nbsp;“Now that we’re here and we’ve done the events and the activities, it’s really moving and it’s a powerful experience,” she said. “I just hope that more African Americans learn and hear about it.”</p>



<p>Additional reporting by Edward McAllister in Dakar; Christian Akorlie in Accra; and Afolabi Sotunde in Badagry, Nigeria.; Writing by Edward McAllister; Editing by Alexandra Zavis and Kari Howard</p>


How Ghana is cashing in on slave heritage tourism

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<p>Conservation and tourism come together at the Monkeyland Sanctuary. Paula Hallam, who runs the KZN primate sanctuary and looks after 107 furry friends.</p>


Paula Hallam on the benefits of conservation on tourism

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<p>Africa’s Travel Indaba, hosted in Durban, exhibited products from countries all over the continent. South Africa showcased the best of tourism from several provinces. CNBC Africa’s Kopano Gumbi spoke to Vuyani Dayimani, CEO of Eastern Cape Park and Tourism Agency about what makes Eastern Cape interesting for visitors outside South Africa.</p>


How the Eastern Cape plans to boost its tourism numbers

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<p>What does Durban have to offer as the host city for Africa&#8217;s Travel Indaba this year? CNBC Africa spoke to eThekwini Municipality deputy Mayor Fawzia Peer.</p>


Defining Durban as Africa’s business & tourist hub

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<p>Tourism can do so much to unlock the economic potential of a country and with a plethora of attractions; the pearl of Africa believes it is uniquely positioned to offer unforgettable experiences. For more CNBC Africa spoke to the Minister of Tourism in Uganda, Ephraim Kamuntu, at the Africa Tourism Indaba in Durban South Africa.</p>


How Uganda aims to become a tourist hub

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<p>Former accountant Mbali Mbonambi&#8217;s love of travel made her turn passion into a business .She now runs a travel agency from her hometown in Durban and told CNBC Africa about the highs and lows of the business.</p>


How this entrepreneur turned her love for travel into a business

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<p>Staying with attracting investments in your city for critical for growth, Durban seems to be making greater strides in this regard. Head of Invest Durban, Russel Curtis told CNBC Africa&#8217;s Kopano Gumbi about their multi-billion rand investments.</p>


Unlocking investment opportunities in Durban

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<p>Africa&#8217;s Travel Indaba, currently underway in Durban, is showcasing some of the best tourism destinations Africa has to offer. CNBC Africa&#8217;s Fifi Peters caught up with Philip Sithole, Deputy City Manager for Economic Development and planning for eThekwini Municipality about uplifting township tourism.</p>


eThekwini Municipality’s Philip Sithole on uplifting township tourism

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<p>UShaka Marine World tourism is a leading driver of economic development and South Africa is not short of attractions for all tastes .Dr Stella Khumalo, CEO of UShaka Marine World explains why the water park is such an important part of Durban&#8217;s tourism ecosystem.</p>


Importance of UShaka Marine World for SA tourism

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<p>With the government’s MICE goals on track and tourism picking up, there is a growing demand for luxury goods on the Rwandan market. Akagera Business Group has partnered up with popular French Winery, Moet and Chandon, to better meet some of those demands. CNBC Africa spoke to PierreLouisAraud Hospitality Manger, Global Brand Ambassador of Moet &#038; Chandon and Vinay Gorajia, MD ABG Group to find out more of what this means for the Rwandan economy and the consumer market.</p>


Moet & Chandon enters Rwanda partners with ABG

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<p>Kenya has recently experienced a terrorist attack, and one of the fast growing sectors in the country is tourism. What will be the impact of these attacks in the country&#8217;s tourism? Unathi Henama, Tourism Lecturer at Tswane University of Technology joins CNBC Africa for more.</p>


Will the Nairobi attack hurt Kenya tourism?

<p><em>Media Release</em></p>
<p>23 November 2018</p>
<p>South Africa blazed the trail by being the first African country to host the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) Africa Leaders Forum since the first WTTC Global Summit hosted by Portugal in 1996.</p>
<p>The Minister of Tourism, Derek Hanekom, expressed his gratitude at the opportunity and confidence given to South Africa to be first host of the forum on African soil, as he delivered the opening address in Stellenbosch on Thursday.</p>
<p>“The growth of this sector will catalyse job creation. We require greater active participation of the continent in the work of WTTC,” said Minister Hanekom.</p>
<p>For 26 years, the WTTC has been the voice of the global tourism industry. This organisation promotes sustainable growth in the sector, works with governments and international institutions to create jobs, to drive exports and to generate prosperity.</p>
<p>South Africa sees the value of the WTTC as being the voice of this industry globally bringing specialist knowledge to guide government policy and decision-making, raising awareness of the importance of the industry as an economic generator of prosperity.</p>
<p>Given the potential of Travel and Tourism in Africa, WTTC gathered the CEOs and regional leaders of the top Travel &amp; Tourism companies from across Africa, along with Tourism Ministers and regional experts at its inaugural Africa Leaders Forum in Stellenbosch to discuss the key issues facing the region’s Travel &amp; Tourism sector. The President and CEO of WTTC, Gloria Guevara Manzo, praised the South African government for recognising the opportunities in this sector and the steps it has taken to realise this potential.</p>
<p>The Africa Leaders Forum promotes further investment in Africa’s tourism sector and supports innovation in tourism. The Forum also provided a unique and exclusive space for networking among industry leaders. Some of the key issues facing the region’s travel and tourism sector were discussed including Tourism’s role in sustainable growth and development, as well as tourism and inclusive job creation.</p>
<p>As an economic lever and a growth pillar, tourism currently supports about 1.5 million jobs directly and indirectly in South Africa. Growing the country’s tourism sector is a key aspect of the country’s Nine-Point Plan and aligned to the National Development Plan that recognises tourism as one of the main drivers in the economy. By achieving the objectives of the National Tourism Sector Strategy (2016-2026), there will be more sustainable jobs and a more inclusive tourism sector. This strategy is a guiding document for the Tourism Sector in South Africa, with particular focus on inclusive growth, job creation and transformation.</p>
<p>“The African Continent has huge growth potential if we harness the tourism sector opportunities”, Minister Hanekom concluded.</p>


How South Africa is propelling the continent into the forefront of the tourism sector

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<p>The World Travel &#038; tourism Council together with the South African tourism ministry are hosting the first Africa Leaders Forum dedicated at taking a closer look at tourism in the continent and looking at ways that it can aid in increasing growth and create jobs. CNBC Africa&#8217;s Lubabalo Mashiqana spoke to Gloria Guevara, President/ CEO of WTTC.</p>


Africa’s tourism has potential to grow despite challenges – WTTC’s Gloria Guevara

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<p>CEO of South African Tourism, Sisa Ntshona spoke to CNBC Africa about scaling up tourism in Africa and tackling visa challenges that hinder growth in the sector.</p>


SA Tourism CEO on the upside to digital innovation in tourism

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<p>Tourism Business Council of South Africa CEO Tshifhiwa Tshivhengwa spoke to CNBC Africa on how South Africa can best leverage innovation and technology to boost tourism in the country.</p>


TBCSA’s Tshifhiwa Tshivhengwa on how digital innovation is impacting tourism

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<p>SA Tourism minister Derek Hanekom spoke to CNBC Africa’s Lubabalo Mashiqana on the side-lines on the World Travel and Tourism Council about the need to tackle the country’s visa challenges as a way to boost tourism.</p>


Derek Hanekom on the need to reform SA’s visa system to boost tourism

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<p>SA finance minister Tito Mboweni delivered his much anticipated maiden medium term budget policy statement. He announced the easing of visa requirements to boost the tourism sector. Unathi Henama, Tourism TUT Lecturer joins CNBC Africa for more insight.</p>


tourism

How Ghana is cashing in on slave heritage tourism

Paula Hallam on the benefits of conservation on tourism

How the Eastern Cape plans to boost its tourism numbers

Defining Durban as Africa’s business & tourist hub

How Uganda aims to become a tourist hub

How this entrepreneur turned her love for travel into a business

Unlocking investment opportunities in Durban

eThekwini Municipality’s Philip Sithole on uplifting township tourism

Importance of UShaka Marine World for SA tourism

Moet & Chandon enters Rwanda partners with ABG

Will the Nairobi attack hurt Kenya tourism?

How South Africa is propelling the continent into the forefront of the tourism sector

Africa’s tourism has potential to grow despite challenges – WTTC’s Gloria Guevara

SA Tourism CEO on the upside to digital innovation in tourism

TBCSA’s Tshifhiwa Tshivhengwa on how digital innovation is impacting tourism

Derek Hanekom on the need to reform SA’s visa system to boost tourism

#MTBS 2018: Finmin Mboweni announces easing of visa requirements to boost tourism

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tourism

How Ghana is cashing in on slave heritage tourism

Paula Hallam on the benefits of conservation on tourism

How the Eastern Cape plans to boost its tourism numbers

Defining Durban as Africa’s business & tourist hub

How Uganda aims to become a tourist hub

How this entrepreneur turned her love for travel into a business

Unlocking investment opportunities in Durban

eThekwini Municipality’s Philip Sithole on uplifting township tourism

Importance of UShaka Marine World for SA tourism

Moet & Chandon enters Rwanda partners with ABG

Will the Nairobi attack hurt Kenya tourism?

How South Africa is propelling the continent into the forefront of the tourism sector

Africa’s tourism has potential to grow despite challenges – WTTC’s Gloria Guevara

SA Tourism CEO on the upside to digital innovation in tourism

TBCSA’s Tshifhiwa Tshivhengwa on how digital innovation is impacting tourism

Derek Hanekom on the need to reform SA’s visa system to boost tourism

#MTBS 2018: Finmin Mboweni announces easing of visa requirements to boost tourism

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