AFRICA will set the pace for
growth in the years ahead,
says The Economist’s Herman
Warren, Network Director,
Africa – Corporate Network.
Many African countries
are expected to grow their
GDP by as much as 5-8%
in the next year. All eyes
are on East Africa, which
is the fastest growing
region. Kenya, Tanzania and
Ethiopia have seen robust
growth in infrastructure and
development and business
confidence is strong.
On the other hand, subSaharan
Africa is going in a
“southerly” direction, says
Herman. Particularly South
Africa, which has officially
entered a recession. GDP
growth is forecast at 0,7%.
“2019 will be a challenging
year for the South African
travel industry,” says
Travelport’s managing director
for Africa, Guido Verweij.
“Political uncertainty and
the weak rand impact on
consumer confidence.”
But travel agency partners
are still investing in their
systems, he says. They are
focused on finding the right
tools for their consultants
and being at the forefront of
technological developments.
Mark Meehan, who has
very recently been appointed
md of Travelport’s newly
formed Asia Pacific, Middle
East and Africa region, is
excited about prospects
for the region. “There is
something about Africa – a
will to overcome, to progress
and make opportunities.
Africa is not limited by legacy
and tradition but overcomes
through innovation and
creativity.”
Africa is at the forefront
of mobile technology and
this is now paying dividends,
says Mark. He also believes
that airlines operating in the
African market, while slow to
engage with NDC and new
technologies, will benefit from
seeing other carriers “do it
first”.
Next year, Travelport will
focus on the mobile space.
In East Africa, Travelport
is working on integrating
M-Pesa, a mobile phonebased
money transfer,
financing and microfinancing
service, into its desktop. This
will be launched by the end of
the year.
In SA, new developments
will include the launch of
Travelport’s Smartpoint webbased
version. Agents will be
able to access the platform
anywhere, giving them more
flexibility”
Africa outlook
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