Ten African countries to explore on your next business trip

The World Economic Forum’s ‘Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report 2013’ ranked 140 countries according to their attractiveness and competitiveness in the travel and tourism industries, and this year 35 African countries were included in the report.

Cape Town, South Africa

Cape Town, South Africa

One of the more interesting indicators used to determine these rankings looked at whether business travellers to a particular economy are likely to be recommended to extend their stay.

Under the category “extension of business trips recommended”, 16 African countries made the top half of the global list and South Africa was ranked as the number one country in Africa in this category, and fourth in the world.

The WEF conducted a survey with chief executive officers and top business leaders in all economies covered by the report. “These are the people making the investment decisions in their respective economies,” explained the report.

Those surveyed were posed with the question: “When senior executives visit your country for the first time for business purposes, how likely are you to recommend extending their trip for leisure purposes?”

They were asked to give a rating of between one (which is very unlikely) and seven (which is very likely).

Both South Africa and Morocco made the global top 10 list for countries where business travellers are most likely to be recommended to extend their stay and travel in a country.

Top 10 most recommended African countries for extension of business trips
Africa RankingCountryWorld Ranking
1/35South Africa4/140
2Morocco9
3Rwanda16
4Mauritius24
5Egypt36
6Seychelles37
7Mali42
8Namibia49
9Kenya51
10Botswana52

However, not all of the African countries surveyed fared well in this division. Sierra Leone ranked last in Africa, and 136th out of 140 countries globally, followed by Chad (135th). Surprisingly Tanzania (131st) is the third worst performing African country in this category.