African governments should always involve communities and small-and-medium enterprises (SMEs) around tourist sites in initiatives that aim at growing the sector, experts and policy-makers have advised.

Experts argue that if Africa’s tourism industry is to grow sustainably, local communities and SMEs operating in these places must always be consulted to ensure they support and contribute to efforts to improve the sector.

Abdou Jobe, Gambia’s Minister for Trade and Industry, called for creation of economic linkages in rural areas so that SMEs can sell locally-made products to tourists, and supply goods and services like tomatoes and fruits to nearby hotels that host tourist hotels and shops.

"This will create more opportunities for men and women who want to contribute to the budding tourism sector,” he told participants at the just concluded World Export Development Forum in Kigali on Wednesday.

He added that private-public partnerships were also essential, noting that governments must use some money earned from tourism to develop infrastructure in areas with tourist attractions, as well as improve and safeguard tourist sites.

Tourism is one of Rwanda’s top foreign exchange earners with coffee and tea, and minerals.

The sector raked in a total of $293.6 million last year, up from $281.8 million in 2012. Records at the Directorate of Immigration and Emigration indicate that Rwanda hosted 1,137,000 visitors last year, up from about 1,076,000 in 2012. This represented an addition of 61,000 visitors or an increase of 6 per cent.

The country has helped organise former poachers and their families in co-operatives that engage in community and cultural tourism. This has assured them of sustainable sources of income, and also attracts cultural tourism enthusiasts. The government also gives 5 per cent of the proceeds from tourist attractions to surrounding communities through services like schools, health centres and roads.

Davidson Mugisha, the managing director of Wildlife Tours Rwanda, said the pro-poor approach to tourism allows the communities surrounding the country’s ourist sites to contribute and benefit from the sector.

"We empower community tourism co-operatives to run tourist sites in their communities. We also help them manage the money they earn from tourists.”

Mugisha, however, said because rural people are not technology-savvy, they miss out on opportunities presented by the Internet to market their products and services on the global scene through the use of social media platforms, for instance.

"SMEs have everything to do with tourism because it is an export service,” noted Marcio Favilla de Paula, the executive director for competitiveness, external relations and partnerships at the United Nations World Tourism Organisation.

He said as African nations market themselves globally, more tourists will start coming to emerging economies compared to present times when most of them are visiting developed nations.