Political risk and other barriers to tourism promotion in Africa: Perceptions of US-based travel intermediaries

Abstract

This paper uses both quantitative and qualitative approaches to delineate empirically US-based travel intermediaries’ perceived barriers to tourism promotion in Africa. Two types of political risk factors were delineated in Africa: regionalised and globalised political risk. Regionalised political risk was perceived to have higher negative effects on profits than globalised risk. Although no statistically significant differences in perception regarding both risk factors were found to exist between eastern, western, southern and northern African region promoters, tourism promoters to multiple destination regions perceived a slightly lower globalised risk than those who promote tourism to single regions. Using an open-ended format, ‘other factors’ constituting barriers and threats to tourism promotion in Africa were delineated using content analysis. Suggestions for further improvements are discussed.