Instagram – Aug 31, 2020 @ 16:10
COVID-19 has turned the world as we know it upside down over the last few months, and perhaps none more so than the tourism industry. The African continent has not only suffered the loss of tourism, but also unemployment, lost funding for vital conservation work and an increase in subsistence poaching, amongst other consequences.
Studies like the below will be essential in gaining a deeper understanding of the crisis, how we might be able to fix it, and help get nature-based tourism back on its feet ️
#Repost @aluconservation with @get_repost
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Pre COVID-19, Africa’s tourism industry was the second fastest growing in the world, employing 24.6 million people across the continent and accounting for 7% of GDP. The pandemic and resulting travel bans paralyzed the industry and meant huge numbers of job losses.
The knock-on effect is felt by the wildlife economy as many of Africa’s wild places are funded by foreign tourism dollars. The new Research Department at the School of Wildlife Conservation is analyzing the value of nature-based tourism to Africa’s economies. Stay tuned for the report’s findings and in the meantime read more about the current situation from the link in our bio.
Image credit: @asiliaafrica