Africa Travel & TourismSOCIAL INDEX

JUNE 2016

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Executive Summary Page 3Criteria Behind The Index Page 4Explanation of the Index Page 5

VENDS Insight#1: Social Media and Tourism Growth Page 6#2: Social Media and Gross Domestic Product (GDP) Page 7#3: Popular Social Media Platforms Page 8#4: The Prevalence of Rich Content Page 9#5: The Role of Mobile Technology Page 10#6: Innovation, Monetisation and Global Focus Page 11#7: Success Stories and Shining Stars Page 12#8: Global Benchmarks Page 13

#9: The Index African Tourist Boards Social Media Index Page 14African Airline Social Media Index Page 15African Hotels Social Media Index Page 16Cumulative Social Media Figures Page 17African GDP, Population & Tourism Growth Page 18VENDS Africa Tourism Growth vs. Ranking Index Page 19

#10: Lessons to be Learned – VENDS’ Commentary Page 20

Contents

We’re delighted to introduce youto VENDS’ first Travel andTourism Social Index for Africa –the most in-depth study to dateof the use of social media acrossthe tourist boards, nationalairlines and leading hotels ofAfrica.

Why Africa? Within this developing yetdynamic continent, we’re confronted bycharacteristics and statistics that areboth unusual and fascinating.

To begin with, against the backdrop of apopulation of 1.1 billion people, Africa’stotal continental GDP is $2.39 trillion –significantly less than the UnitedKingdom’s $3 trillion, despite the laer’s63 million people.

In Africa, too, we must consider a currentmobile penetration of 67% and internetpenetration of 26.5%, of which socialmedia penetration sits at only 24%.These figures are significantly lower thanelsewhere in the world.

And why the focus on social media? Well,no-one can deny that social media hasmatured enormously, to the extent that itimpacts directly on a country or brand'sposition, perception, relevance and eveneconomic performance.

It also plays a growing role in manyaspects of worldwide tourism.Consumers engage with social mediawhen researching trips, sharing personalexperiences, and making decisions onwhen, where and with whom to travel.

Plus, user-generated content is widelyperceived as the most credible andauthentic – for obvious reasons, it is thesource travellers trust most.

For suppliers of tourism services, too,there is great value to be gleaned fromexamining social media best practiceswhen interacting with consumers, andsocial media marketing of tourismproducts is an excellent strategy.

In the context of Africa’s developinghospitality sector, this report exploreswhether a correlation exists betweenbrands’ or organisations’ social mediaperformance on the one hand, andincreases in tourism numbers andfinancial performance on the other –using a mix of quantitative andqualitative metrics.

We also compare Africa to globalbenchmarks Dubai, Britain and the USA.

The Africa Index is the second in a seriesof geographically focused reports. Wehope you find it useful. Please share yourthoughts via #VENDSIndex.

Sincerely,

Chris O’Toole

Editor

Why Africa? Withinthis developing yetdynamic continent,we’re confronted bycharacteristics andstatistics that areboth unusual andfascinating.

Executive Summary

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This VENDS study uses a blendof quantitative and qualitativedata to examine the role of socialmedia in Africa’s hospitalityindustry – with particularaention to the national touristboard, national airline and aleading hotel from every countryon the continent.

Our figures take into account a widerange of specific indications, including:

Reach: To what extent is theorganisation or entitycomprehensively and consistentlyrepresented on the top six socialmedia platforms: Facebook, Twier,Instagram, Google+, Pinterest andYoutube? How many fans, likes orfollowers does it have? What is itsaggregate reach?

Frequency: How regularly are thesesocial media channels updated andwhat is the quality of the content thatis employed by these channels?

Engagement: How many interactionsdoes the brand achieve across the topsix social media platforms in terms ofshares, likes, comments, etc.?

Responsiveness: What are thenumber, usefulness and speed ofreplies posted by an organisation orentity across its varied social mediaportfolio?

Travel consumersengage with socialmedia whenresearching trips,sharing personalexperiences, andmaking decisions on when, where andwith whom to travel.

Criteria Behind The Index

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Below is a series of tables. Each outlineswhich national tourist boards, nationalairlines and leading hotels havecapitalised on the opportunities offeredby the social media platforms available toAfrican tourism.

We examine which have the widest reach;which produce ‘rich content’; which arethe most active, innovative, andresponsive; and which should be regardedas benchmarks that others in Africashould seek to emulate.

INDEx OF DATA

Overall top performing brands and organisations

Top performing national touristboards

Top performing national airlines onthe continent

Top performing hotels on thecontinent

Explanation of the Index

Which nationaltourist boards,national airlines and leading hotelsare leveraging the opportunitiesoffered by the social mediaplatforms availableto African tourism?

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Is there a correlation between adestination’s social mediaranking and its tourism growth?

In Africa, the most honest answer to thisquestion appears to be ‘no’.

Lesotho, the small landlocked countrythat is completely surrounded by SouthAfrica, saw its tourist visitors surge from433,000 to 1,079,000 between 2013 and2014. This 59.87% climb may be a resultof its geographic and economicinterconnectedness with ‘neighbour’South Africa, but it cannot be aributedto the country’s middling social mediaranking of 26 (of a possible 51).

What’s interesting is that mountainousLesotho has been presented by severalglobal travel media platforms to bebeautiful, culturally rich, safe, affordableand easily accessible from both Durbanand Johannesburg – making it a vastlyunderrated travel destination in SouthernAfrica.

Sao Tome e Principe, the second biggestclimber in tourism growth from 2013 to2014, at 33.33%, barely registers on thesocial media ranking scale at number 49of 51. Interestingly, while this islandnation has neither a national touristboard nor a national airline, and noassociated social media profiles, itsleading hotel group recently initiatedboth Facebook and Twier strategies,yielding 7,155 and 124 fans/followersrespectively to date.

Tanzania and Rwanda fare slightly beerin terms of social media, in 6th and 9thplaces respectively, and have achieved29.13% and 26.15% increases in tourismgrowth from 2013 to 2014. Swaziland, in25th place, has also done well, with a riseof 23.17% in tourism growth between2013 and 2014.

However, the lack of correlation betweensocial media ranking and tourism growthis convincingly borne out when weexamine the region’s ‘Social Media Top 5’:South Africa, the Seychelles, Egypt,Mauritius and South Africa.

Specifically, while the Seychelles andSouth Africa present tourism growth ofless than 1% year-on-year, and Egypt andMauritius achieve slightly beer resultsof approximately 4%, Kenya’s situationshould give pause.

Although Kenya ranks at number 5 on thesocial media scale (with 83,200 followersfor its national tourist board and amassive 351,000 followers for KenyaAirways), it shows a 13.70% decline intourism from 2013 to 2014.

Both Papua New Guinea (ranked 22nd)and Sierra Leone (ranked 10th) alsoappear to be in trouble, with drops of69% and 62.96% in visitor numbers.Once again, it is unrealistic to suggestthat social media has played a markedrole in these declines, in view of PapuaNew Guinea’s continued and widespreadpresentation as potentially the worstplace in the world for non-partner genderviolence and Sierra Leone’s crippling 2014Ebola outbreak.

Africa’s geopoliticsare too complex, at present, for us to examine socialmedia, tourism and travel-relatedvariables in avacuum.

VENDS Insight#1: Social Media and Tourism Growth

Interestingly, VENDS’ research suggeststhat, when examining Africa, there is notcurrently a correlation between socialmedia strength and tourism growth.

Boom line? The continent’s geopoliticsare too complex, at present, for anyresearcher to examine social media,tourism and related variables in anythingresembling a vacuum. In Africa, the truthis simply that social media offersnowhere to hide from the realities ofsocial, economic and political factors.

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Is there a correlation between adestination’s social mediaranking and its GDP?

Here we examine whether largereconomies are beer able than theirsmaller peers to exploit the benefits ofsocial media. In Africa, the simplestanswer is ‘not always’, because we mustdistinguish between potential and reality.

Oen referred to as the "Giant of Africa",Nigeria overtook South Africa to becomethe continent’s largest economy in 2014.It remains the biggest economy by GDP,based on a 2015 estimate of $657 billion.However, Nigeria sits in a middling 27thplace in terms of its social media ranking.

While this richly resourced countryenjoys the potential to develop asignificant social media presence, Nigeriahas not actualised this potential.

In contrast, South Africa and Egypt, thesecond and third biggest economies onthe continent, with $350 billion and $324billion GDP respectively, have realisedtheir potential when it comes to socialmedia, dominating Africa in terms of bothsocial media strength and actual touristnumbers.

South Africa welcomed just over 9.5million visitors in 2013 and 2014. Itsnational tourist board claims 1st placeacross the key social media platforms(with 59,842 Facebook likes; 326,326Google+ followers, 122,000 Twierfollowers; and 5,600 Pinterest fans,24,000 Instagram followers), while its

national airline sits in 7th place and itsleading hotel, in 2nd (commanding acombined 260,000 and 10,000 Facebookand Twier friends respectively). In thisinstance, however, social media strengthhas not translated measurably intosignificant tourism growth for thecountry.

Egypt, despite lagging behind SouthAfrica in terms of tourist visitors, was –until recently – the destination toemulate in African tourism from anumbers point of view. Aracting 9.6million visitors in 2014, the countryregistered a 4.72% increase in tourismgrowth on the previous year. Its nationaltourist board and national airline also ledthe top five performers in social media,with 1.4 million followers on Facebook,Twier, Instagram, Google+ and Youtube.

Digging down, Egypt Air is undeniably thecontinent’s most popular and mostdiversely represented national airlinewhen it comes to social media, with500,968 Facebook likes; 44,400 Twierfollowers; a whopping 873,054 Google+followers; 14,600 Instagram fans; and5,430 Youtube fans.

But does this yield social mediaengagements that are always positive?We don’t know. We must remember, also,that Egyptians themselves remain someof the most active social mediaconsumers on the continent on a percapita basis, so it’s possible that quantityin social media doesn’t always translateinto quality tourism – at least, in terms ofvisitors to the country.

Egypt, despitelagging slightlybehind South Africain terms of actualtourist numbers, was until recentlythe African countryto emulate.

The Seychelles is an interesting casestudy in this area. Its 2015 GDP wasestimated at a mere $2 billion, yet itremains a top five front-runner incontinental social media strength. Itsnational tourist board has 305,000Facebook likes; 7,083 Twier followers;and 3,029 Instagram fans, while itsleading hotel has the 4th highestFacebook likes on the continent at 13,164.

VENDS’ research suggests that, thelarger an economy, the greater its socialmedia potential. However, theactualisation of this potential is notuniform across Africa, with smallerdestinations able to build larger profileswith appropriate strategies in place andstronger economies lagging behind.

#2: Social Media and Gross Domestic Product (GDP)

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Which social media platforms aremost important to Africantourism?

Facebook is a social media giant. At thetime of writing, Facebook has moremonthly active users (1.49 billion) thanWhatsApp (500 million), Twier (284million) and Instagram (200 million)combined. More than 1 billion people logonto Facebook daily, which represents a16% increase year-on-year.

Facebook has also evolved to facilitateconnections with consumers.

Through Facebook Pages, FacebookAdvertising, and Facebook Applicationsbrands can build long-term dialogues andrelationships with consumers, whiletelling the world their unique stories.Travel brands can identify prospectivetravellers, communicate directly withusers, engage with advocates and createbranded experiences through ads andcustom-developed apps.

Furthermore, Facebook users arepassionate about sharing their travelexperiences, and this is borne out by thefigures collated here by VENDS.

As of June 2014, there are 100 millionpeople visiting Facebook every monthacross the African continent, with over80% on mobile.

Every destination in our survey had morelikes on Facebook than any other socialmedia platform, led by Mauritius with893,802; Egypt with 749,155; and theSeychelles with 349,560. Egypt also leadsthe pack as the country with the mostFacebook users (13 million), making it the

world’s 20th largest user of Facebook.South Africa is second with 5.5 millionFacebook users and Nigeria is third with5.35 million. In short, the impact ofFacebook is unrivalled.

However, other social media platforms doplay niche roles in Africa’s tourismindustry. Next in line is Twier. Strongestin terms of speed, Twier allowsorganisations and entities to sharecurrent information instantly and enablesreal-time two-way dialogue betweenbrands and consumers.

Importantly, Twier can also play a keyrole in changing (or improving)perceptions of a destination. RichardSamson, IT Partner at KPMG, says,“Twier creates the ability for peopleacross Africa to share information andread the diverse views – embracing all ofthe freedom that this brings.”

On Twier the region is dominated byKenya, with a massive 351,000 followersfor Kenya Airways and 83,200 followersfor Kenya’s national tourist board. Thesenumbers give Kenya Africa’s first andsecond largest Twier followings, withEgypt Air next in line (and 300,000behind) at 44,400.

Google+ must also be mentioned in thecontext of Africa, specifically withreference to national airlines. With over300 million monthly users worldwide, itremains one of the most important socialmedia platforms available.

Egypt Air exhibits the largest continentalusage of Google+, with its 873,054Google+ followers an absolute anomaly.The airline also has 5,430 Youtubesubscribers; a significant number, even

Facebook is thesocial media giant inAfrica, followed byTwitter and then byGoogle+ andYoutube.

dwarfed as it is by Egypt Travel’s 23,592subscribers – constituting the continent’slargest representation by far.

Egypt is Africa's biggest country forGoogle+, with half a million Egyptianslisted. South Africa follows with 466,828and Zimbabwe with 30,237.

To date, visual-bookmarking toolPinterest and image-sharing applicationInstagram have not taken off significantlyamong tourism organisations and entitiesin Africa, despite ardent global use. This issurprising, because Instagram – with 300million monthly active users – is said to bemost popular in the Middle East andAfrica (34% of users) and Pinterest – with70 million users – is shown by research tobe accessed mostly in North America(33% of internet users), the Middle Eastand Africa (25% of internet users).

Therefore, while VENDS’ research pointsto Facebook and Twier as the socialmedia front-runners in Africa, Google+and Youtube are also relevant –particularly in the context of nationalairlines and tourist boards.

#3: Popular Social Media Platforms

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What is rich content?Importantly, who in Africa iseffectively using it?

The experts tell us that the key to asuccessful social media presence is richcontent that targets an audience, deliversthe right message to them and persuadesthem to take action. By definition, richcontent is any form of content thatengages the user by deviating fromnormal text or static images.

Rich content on social media can extendto podcasts, audio, videos, music, eBooks,webinars and flash animation, all of whichoffer more dynamic elements and a morenuanced user experience than thealternative.

These can also increase conversion rates,appeal to viewers who prefer video totext, and make consumers moreconfident about online purchasedecisions.

Just as representation means lilewithout performance when it comes tosocial media, richness in the context ofcontent is also about responsiveness.Says Lee-Ann Du Toit of MomentumDigital, “Being more connected meansbeing more transparent, visible and open.Trust plays a critical part in thisconnected world, as the consumer is nowthe one with the strongest voice...”

In our Index, the VENDS team allocatedpoints for recency and frequency;interactions and engagement (shares,likes, comments); and responsiveness

(number and speed of replies), yieldingthe following ‘Top 5 in Rich Social MediaContent’: Egypt, Mauritius, Ethiopia,Morocco and South Africa.

The continent’s airlines are by far themost proactive in rich content.

Air Mauritius (with 712,656 Facebooklikes and 14,300 Twier followers) andEgypt Air (with 500,968 Facebook likesand 44,400 Twier followers) appear toconsistently engage large and growingaudiences on social media.

Next in line is Kenya Airways (with264,142 Facebook likes and 351,000Twier followers), followed by EthiopianAirlines (with 255,757 Facebook likes;27,200 Twier followers; and aremarkable 13,573 Google+ followers).

Other notable destinations not in the Top5 include the Seychelles and Sudan.

The Seychelles, a top five front-runner insocial media strength, has a nationaltourist board with a magnificent 305,000Facebook likes, while its top hotel, leChateau de Feuilles, has the 4th largestFacebook community of the hotelsindexed, at 13,164.

Sudan is all the more interesting. Rankedonly 38 out of a possible 51 countries forsocial media performance, Sudan’snational tourist board and airline farecomparatively poorly. However, on thecommercial front, the country’s Al SalamRotana Hotel commands 71,100 Facebooklikes and 6,224 Twier followers –carving out a unique niche in Sudan’shospitality sector.

In social mediasuccess, it is neithersize nor resourcesthat matters, but theeffort to create richcontent that makesall the difference.

Deanna Ting, of New York-based brandconsultancy firm L2, points out that“Being a digital-savvy hotel brand goesbeyond just having a social mediaaccount. Brands that truly understanddigital brand strategy in all its forms,from mobile and SEO to social and e-commerce, have the upper hand as moreand more consumers demand theseplatforms and services.”

In short, VENDS’ research shows that thecontinent’s airlines – in particular AirMauritius, Egypt Air, Kenya Airways andEthiopian Airlines – produce the richestcontent. But these countries’ disparitiesin population (Mauritius at 1.3 millioncompared to Ethiopia at 96.6 million) andGDP (Mauritius at $12 billion compared toSouth Africa at $350 billion) suggest thatit’s neither size nor resources but effort(and maybe strategy) that makes all thedifference.

#4: The Prevalence of Rich Content

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Gone are the days when globaltravel was a leap into theunknown.

Rapid advancements in mobiletechnology have made it possible for usto know as much as we want to about theworld around us. The smartphone hasempowered tourists with more flexibility,choice and freedom than ever before.

As such, any discussion of social mediaand tourism must acknowledge thegrowing role of mobile technology –especially in the developing world, wheremobile technology oen represents thefirst modern infrastructure of any kind.

Mobile technology also poses newchallenges for tourism service providerswho are looking to successfully engagewith consumers.

In contrast to the situation in which manydeveloped countries find themselves,access to technology in sub-SaharanAfrica over the last 10 years has beenmobile-led, with unique opportunities andchallenges.

Currently, Africa is the world’s leastmobile-penetrated continent. But low-cost smartphones and affordable mobilebroadband packages are bringing moreand more people online, opening up newmarkets for m-commerce, mobilemarketing and apps. It’s possible thatAfrica will begin to resemble India, atourist hot spot, where mobile trafficaccounts for 75% of web use.

Since 2002, cell phone ownership hasexploded in the countries where trends

are available. In 2002, only 8% ofGhanaians said they owned a mobilephone, while that figure stands at 83%today; a more than tenfold increase.

Similar growth in mobile penetration isseen in all African countries where surveydata is available. For instance, roughly athird of South Africans (34%) and about aquarter of Nigerians (27%) say that theirdevice is a smartphone.

Until recently, East Africa was one of theworld’s least connected places, withmobile and internet services that weresluggish, pricey or inaccessible. But threesub-sea fibre-optic cables wereconstructed in 2010, and East Africa is nolonger the only major region withoutsuper-fast broadband. What’s more,Kenya and Rwanda are actuallytechnological success stories – withKenya showing the way in ‘m-commerce’and Tanzania and Uganda close behind.

In real numbers, it is estimated that 67%of Africa’s population, approximately 1.13billion people, currently owns a mobilephone. About 26.5% of the continent’spopulation is online, with 50.3 millionpeople using Facebook.

Grant Brewer, Ernst & Young’s AfricaStrategy & Digital Leader, points outthat, “The entry point to a digital futurefor many people in Africa is through theiraccess to social media on their mobilephone. It is important to realise thatsocial media are oen used differently inemerging markets – for example,Facebook may be used more to connectto do business or to read the news thanwould be the case in a developed market.”

In Africa and thedeveloping world,mobile technologyoften representsthe first moderninfrastructure ofany kind.

By 2019, feature phones will account foronly 27% of Africa’s mobile handsetmarket, as the market for smartphonescontinues to grow. A recent report byglobal technology consulting firm,International Data Corporation (IDC),showed that smartphone shipments toAfrica topped 155 million units by the endof 2015, aer increasing by 66% duringthe first quarter of 2015.

What this will mean for African tourismremains to be seen. Although mobilephone internet user penetration is stilldominated by North America with 64.4%in 2014 – and the Middle East and Africacombined sit at 54.4% – it is helpful fortourism marketers to know that morethan half of all internet users areaccessing content online through theirmobile phones.

#5: The Role of Mobile Technology

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What are the new or emergingmedia formats on the continent,how are African destinationscapitalising on their social media presence, and howinternationally focused areAfrican tourism brands?

The reality is that Africa is still playingcatch-up. Therein lies the opportunity..

With only a handful of destinationsmeaningfully leveraging social media –and a thimble-full doing so across therange of platforms available – there isn’tany data currently on which Africancountries may be using new or emergingmedia formats and indeed, what thesealternative formats may be.

There is also a negligible link, at least,outside of Egypt and Mauritius, betweensocial media presence and tangiblemonetisation.

But according to Bellinda Carreira,Executive Head: Interactive Marketing atStandard Bank, the potential is there. Shepoints out that, “One of the mostoverlooked opportunities created bydigital technology and social media is notdirectly linked to those platforms but is inthe surrounding services that go withbooming online trade. For example, thereare opportunities for entrepreneurs to

look at solving gaps in markets withlimited infrastructure to deliver goodsordered online; resolving trustworthinessissues in making payments online; oroffering solutions to the high cost of data.For many organisations aiming to solveone of these problems in Africa, theopportunities are endless.”

Very few countries leverage foreignlanguage. South Africa, for example, isone of the few that have internationalweb sites which also operate their owndomestic language social media.

1. None of the national tourist boardscommunicate in multiple languages.

2. Aside from Air Mauritius and EgyptAir, which are discussed in a latersection, only three national airlines(16% of those on the continent)communicate via social media in morethan one language: Ethiopian Airlines,TACV Cabo Verde Airlines and AirBurundi.

3. Only three hotels in Africa (16% of thecontinent’s hotels) do the same;namely, Sudan’s Al Salam Rotana, SaoTome e Principe’s Bom Bom PrincipeIsland and Cape Verde’s Hotel RiuTouareg.

Travel is an inherently global market, yetlanguage remains one of the greatestuntapped opportunities when it comes tosocial media.

Africa is stillplaying catch-up.Therein lies theopportunity.

#6: Innovation, Monetisation and Global Focus

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Where do we look for inspirationalsocial media in Africa?

In this section, we examine the marketleaders and reveal what they do in theirsocial media efforts to distinguishthemselves from the competition.

HOTELS

South Africa’s Oyster Box Hotel tops theleading hotels in Africa for social mediaengagement, with 23,116 Facebook likes,7,278 Twier followers, and solidrepresentation on Instagram, Pinterest,Youtube and Google+.

Scoring well for recency, frequency,engagement and responsiveness, thehotel regularly shares event information,menu updates, behind-the-scenesstories, social project details, and evennews about Africa’s #GrumpyCat, thefeline who has his own Facebook profileand resides at the hotel.

Sudan’s Al Salam Rotana Hotel is secondin line, with 71,100 Facebook likes and6,224 Twier followers (this, despite thecountry’s position in 38th place).

AIRLINES

Two airlines are shining social mediastars: Air Mauritius and Egypt Air. AirMauritius has 712,656 Facebook likes and14,300 Twier followers and Egypt Airhas 500,968 Facebook likes and 44,400Twier followers. Egypt Air also dwarfsthe rest of the continent on Google+, with873,054 followers.

Both carriers are successful in educatingaudiences about their products, whilesharing route updates, secret albums,curated media content, competitions, andhistorical information, and doing so inmultiple languages. They also score wellfor recency, frequency, andresponsiveness.

TOuRISM BOARDS

Four national tourism boards haveproved themselves to be able performersin the social media space. On Facebook,The Seychelles Islands and Egypt Travelseem to dominate; Twier is led by SouthAfrica and Magical Kenya.

However, only two of the four, Egypt andMauritius, achieved more thanunexceptional tourism growth from 2013to 2014. Egypt was clearly the destinationto beat until recently, creating initiativeslike the 2015 “Myeverywhere” campaign.Designed to stimulate Egypt’s touristeconomy by leveraging social media,Myeverywhere was a unique videocompetition that allowed fans to usetheir videos as entries into weekly prizesand paid trips.

Successful airlines inAfrica are educatingaudiences abouttheir products, while sharing routeupdates, secretalbums, curatedmedia content,competitions, and historicalinformation, anddoing so in multiplelanguages.

#7: Success Stories and Shining Stars

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Where do social media brandsfrom Africa stand on the globalstage, relative to heavyweightslike Dubai, Britain and the uSA?

Thus far, at least, there is no competition.Africa appears to have a lot of catchingup to do and several important lessons tolearn.

The tourism sector in the Middle East ingeneral, and Dubai in particular, hasgrown exponentially in recent years –mirrored by the rise of social media toinspire, inform and connect withconsumers. In Britain and the USA, too,tourism is firmly established, making theeffective leveraging of social media fortourist purposes almost mainstream inthose destinations.

BRITAIN AND THE uSA

More specifically, British Airwayscurrently has 2.3 million Facebook likesand 867,000 Twier followers, whileAmerican Airlines has earned 2 millionFacebook likes and 1.2 million Twierfollowers. Then there are the hotels. TheMGM Grand in Las Vegas has 1.1 millionFacebook likes and 340,000 Twierfollowers. Among the global chains,Marrio International has over 2 millionlikes on Facebook and Hilton Worldwidehas 1.4 million.

Airlines and hotels in Africa have asignificant way to go, if they are to reacheven 10% of the social mediabenchmarks set in Britain and the USA.The only ‘player’ is Egypt, which comesclosest to those numbers.

In terms of tourism boards, VisitBritainset an industry record with its GREATBritain campaign, yielding 35.8 millionvisits in 2015 (a 4% increase since 2014and the country’s fih consecutive yearof tourism growth).

DuBAI

Dubai appears to be the front-runner,however, thanks to its national airline,Emirates. Emirates enjoys a largefollowing of its own, with nearly 6 millionFacebook likes, a further million onInstagram and 750,000 on Twier.

Similarly, the Burj Al Arab – among themost luxurious hotels in the world – has400,000 likes on Facebook and 80,000followers on Twier, making it the envy ofthe Middle East hospitality industry. Suchstrong support is likely to have boostedvisitor numbers to Dubai more generally.

In short, Dubai – closer to its Africancounterparts in gross domestic product,location and richness in natural resources– should be the destination to inspireAfrican organisations and brands, ratherthan the USA or Britain.

Dubai should bethe destination toinspire emulationby tourismorganisations and travel brandsin Africa.

#8: Global Benchmarks

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South AfricaSeychelles EgyptMauritiusKenyaTanzaniaNamibiaBotswana Rwanda Sierra LeoneTunisiaGambiaZambiaMadagascar ugandaMozambiqueCôte d’Ivoire SenegalZimbabwe AlgeriaGhanaPapua New GuineaEthopia MalawiSwazilandLesothoNigeriaTogoMoroccoDjiboutiNigerComoros IslandsBeninCameroon GabonLibya BurundiMaliSudanEritreaLiberia Mauriitania AngolaBurkinaCabo VerdeChadEquatorial GuineaGuinea-Bissau Sao Tome e PrincipeSouth SudanSomaliaCentral African RepCongo, Rep ofCongo, Dem. Rep of

South AfricaThe Seychelles IslandsEgypt TravelMauritiusMagical KenyaTanzania Tourist BoardNamibiaBotswana TourismRwanda TourismVisit Sierra LeoneTourism TunisiaVisit The GambiaZambia TourismMadagascar TourismeVisit UgandaVisit MozambiqueCôte d’Ivoire TourismeAu SenegalZimbabwe Tourism AlgeriaGhana TravelPapua New Guinea TravelEthopia Tourism Visit MalawiThe Kingdom of SwazilandVisit LesothoCome to NigeriaTogo TourismeVisit MoroccoVisit DjiboutiNiger TourismeComoros IslandsBenin TourismeCameroon TouristLe GabonLibya Visit BurundiMali TourismSud TourismEritreaLiberia Mauriitania Angola Travel andToursBurkinaCabo VerdeChad NowEquatorial GuineaGuinea-Bissau Republic Sao Tome e PrincipeSud TourismVisit Somalia–––

59,842305,200241,424

177,18173,19365,41346,522

19,13217,748

20,08420,115

20,45616,93512,49211,90612,51412,67510,3747,565

6,4644,1701,625

5,0902,0112,713

2,499241

1,9281,3321,471

1,039–

2862871196419

––

1510

3––––––––––––

122,0007,083

13,60014,40083,200

2,7984,345

11,60012,700

3,1781,139

6882

3,1142,141563

–1,4042,233

681,702

2,442177

1,8351,117

1,1951,508

––––

64046

––3

1526

––––––––––––––––

326,326463

––––––––––

125––––––––

881––––

1,910–––––––––––––––––––––––––––

5,600984

––––

786––––

41–––––––––

518––––––

373–––––––––––––––––––––––––

34,1003,029

––

14,000––––––––

203–––

109––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

6,0411,039

23,592338

1,18674

17221352

–458

33409023

198–

149––

479––

166104

–––––––––––––

19–––––––––––––––

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#9: The Index – African Tourist Boards Social Media Index

Tourist Board Pinterest Instagram YouTubeGoogle+TwierFacebookCountry

Ranking

Languages

Followers Followers Followers FollowersFollowersPage Likes

Empty fields reflect no data or profile available at the time

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Egypt

Mauritius

Kenya

Ethiopia

Marocco

Algeria

South Africa

Tunisia

Angola

Seychelles

Rwanda

Cape Verde

Botswana

Tanzania

Madasgascar

Congo, Rep. of

Côte d'Ivoire

Namibia

Cameroon

Senegal

Zimbabwe

Libya

Eritrea

Papua New Guinea

Malawi

Sudan

Bangui, Cen Afr Rep.

Burkina Faso

Mozambique

Swaziland

Djibouti

Burundi

Mauritania

Ghana

Egypt Air

Air Mauritius

Kenya Airways

Ethiopian Airlines

Royal Air Maroc

Air Algérie

South African Airways

Tunisair

TAAG Angola Airlines

Air Seychelles

Rwandair

TACV Cabo Verde Airlines

Air Botswana

Air Tanzania

Air Madasgascar

Equatorial Congo Airlines

Air Côte d'Ivoire

Air Namibia

Cameroon Airlines

Senegal Airlines

Air Zimbabwe

Libyan Airlines

Eritrean Airlines

PNG Air

Air Malawi

Sudan Airways

Karinou Airlines

Air Burkina

LAM

Swazi Airways

Djibouti Air

Air Burundi

Mauritania Airways

Air Ghana

500,968

712,656

264,142

255,757

254,769

251,886

239,563

158,000

108,163

31,196

16,794

22,166

19,747

18,403

17,282

16,645

18,955

10,583

4,041

4,773

4,824

3,981

2,160

1,414

266

793

598

278

209

22

15

39

22

–

44,400

14,300

351,000

27,200

27,300

7,025

3,025

6,648

–

2,592

11,000

258

3,122

3,315

4,159

2,631

1,034

102

4,964

643

330

199

–

52

915

–

–

16

–

170

113

16

–

–

873,054

4,008

–

13,573

803

–

23

–

–

80

11

35

–

130

–

–

–

–

73

117

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

3,000

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

14,600

13,100

–

743

–

–

–

–

–

–

1,286

797

–

–

–

1,511

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

5,430

313

1,028

1,405

1,510

–

166

–

98

214

29

79

–

29

–

–

–

107

12

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

31

32

33

34

1

1

1

2

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

2

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

2

1

–

#9: The Index – African Airline Social Media Index

Airline Pinterest Instagram YouTubeGoogle+TwierFacebookCountry

Ranking

Languages

Empty fields reflect no data or profile available at the time

Followers Followers Followers FollowersFollowersPage Likes

16

SudanSouth AfricaZambiaSeychellesPapua New GuineaMozambiqueMaliDjiboutiLesothougandaSao Tome e PrincipeSierra LeoneEgyptCameroonAlgeriaEquatorial GuineaAngolaBotswanaMauritiusNigerEthiopiaKenyaTanzaniaRwandaTogoCôte d’IvoireSomaliaSouth AfricaGhanaKenyaGabonCentral African RepugandaCongo, Dem. Rep.NamibiaSouth SudanMalawiCongo, Rep ofBurundiSouth AfricaComorosZimbabweTunisiaLibyaNigeriaMadagascarLiberiaGuinea-BissauBeninMoroccoCape VerdeChadBurkina FasoEritrea

Al Salam RotanaThe Oyster BoxTongabezi Lodge LivingstoneLe Chateau de FeuillesAirways HotelWhite Pearls Resort Ponta MamoliRadisson Blu Hotel BamakoDjibouti Palace KempinskiMaliba Mountain LodgeMunyonyo Commonwealth ResortBom Bom Principe IslandRadisson Blu Mammy Yoko HotelThe Oberoi Sahl HasheeshStar Land HotelHilton AlgerSofitel Malabo Sipopo Le GolfHotel Baia LuandaChobe Safari LodgeConstance Le Prince MauriceGrand Hotel Du NigerCapital Hotel and SpaMaji Beach Boutique HotelBaraza Resort & SpaKigali Serena HotelResidence Hoteliere OceaneVilla AnakaoAmbassador Hotel HargeisaNgala LodgeLabadi Beach HotelHotel NeptuneHotel Le CristalHotel Ledger Plaza BanguiRoyal Suites HotelGrand Karavia HotelThe Olive ExclusiveTulip Inn JubaKaya MawaRadisson Blu M'Bamou Palace Hotel, BrazzavilleKing's Conference CentreForesters ArmsMoheli Laka LodgeA'Zimbabwe River LodgeScheherazade Hotel SousseCorinthia Hotel TripoliThe WheatbakerConstance TsarabanjinaHotel JavvyHotel Lodge Ponta-AnchacaMaison Rouge CotonouRiad RomanceHotel Riu TouaregLedger Plaza N'DjamenaHotel Canne a SucreAlbergo Italia

71,10023,11615,61213,16412,2479,70811,210

9,6636,6948,083

7,1556,7996,7636,5645,7335,5545,0424,4273,9653,781

3,4743,4463,2053,0002,9082,8822,2602,1691,8931,9271,3841,251

1,0571,160

1,060975850906835737

640531431

368171

349198148

9218

76––

6,2247,2782,285

61–

751107

1,5421,548

532124

288––

64––

247––

39–

83163

––

1848

223–––

78––

27137

–2912–––5––––––––––

–112

4––6–

413549

––4–

4126

20––84

21–51––

40–

29–6–––––––––––

33–––––––––

–491326

––

56––

272–––––

26–––––––

50–––––––––

37–––––––––––––––––––––

–5,168

–––

89665

–277

––

89–––––

43––––––––––––––––––––––––––

163–––––––––

–243

17––

20–

32––

76–––––––––11–

15–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

123456789

101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142434445464748495051525354

2111111111211111111111111111111111111111111111111121––

#9: The Index – African Hotels Social Media Index

Hotel Pinterest Instagram YouTubeGoogle+TwierFacebookCountry

Ranking

Languages

Empty fields reflect no data or profile available at the time

Followers Followers Followers FollowersFollowersPage Likes

17

Total Tourist BoardSocial Media Interactions

Cumulative

Ranking

Total AirlineSocial Media Interactions

Cumulative

Ranking

Total HotelSocial Media Interactions

Cumulative

Ranking

Country

#9: The Index – Cumulative Social Media Figures

Overall

Ranking

278,616191,919553,909171,579317,7985,2671,7056,53221,712068,2851951,82530,50030,94515,89912,67517,18223,26213,275020,59814,070012,0365,4662879,7981,4713,694266,35104,01203,9341,9281,039673,65901501196403003433201000

5,517,3453,902,1273,940,569

123456789

101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142434445464748495051525354

EgyptMauritiusSouth AfricaKenyaSeychellesEthopia MoroccoAlgeriaTunisiaAngolaTanzaniaSudanNamibiaRwandaBotswanaMadagascar Cote d’IvoireZambiaSierra LeoneMozambiqueCape VerdeGambiaugandaCongo, Rep ofSenegalPapua New Guinea CameroonZimbabwe DjiboutiLesothoMaliGhanaSao Tome e PrincipeMalawiEquatorial GuineaSwazilandTogoNigerLibya NigeriaSomaliaEritreaCentral African RepGabonComorosMauriitania Congo, Dem. Rep ofSouth SudanBurundiBeninBurkinaLiberia Guinea-Bissau Chad

united StatesGreat BritainDubai

341

52

232920

11–6

39798

1417131016

–1215

–18223419

30263821–

24–

252831

3627

–40

–353242

––

3733

–41

––

1,438,452 744,377 242,777 616,170 34,082 285,105 284,382 258,911 164,648 108,261 21,877 793 10,792 29,120 22,869 21,441 19,989 ––209 23,335 ––20,787 5,533 1,466 9,090 5,154 128 ––––1,181 –192 ––4,180 ––2,160 598 ––22 ––55 –294 –5 –

1273

1045689

14261811

131517––

2912––

162024192131

––––

25–

30––

22––

2327

––

33––

32–

28–

34–

6,767 3,965 36,408 3,450 13,225 3,532 18 5,864 431 5,048 3,374 77,324 1,060 3,163 4,737 349 2,883 18,244 7,176 11,437 7 2,217 8,664 906 1,927 12,247 6,564 531 11,278 8,826 11,382 2,156 7,355 987 5,556 749 2,913 3,781 373 367 2,278 –1,251 1,413 640 1,178 1,160 1,002 864 92 –198 148 6

1319

222

421

5015

4317

231

352418

4626

3126

512810

3830

51442

897

2911

3716

402520444527

–323141

3334363949

–474852

Empty fields reflect no data or profile available at the time

181 2013 latest figures2 2014 latest figures

GDP (2015 Estimate)Country Growth

Annual TourismVisitorsPopulation

PopulationGrowth

#9: The Index – Africa GDP, Population & Tourism Growth

$238 Billion $142 Billion $10 Billion $18 Billion $15 Billion $3 Billion $2 Billion $34 Billion $2 Billion $18 Billion $1 Billion $14 Billion1

$36 Billion $38 Billion $2 Billion $324 Billion $14 Billion $4 Billion $56 Billion $22 Billion $1 Billion$33 Billion $20 Billion $1 Billion$70 Billion $1.027 Billion $2 Billion$63 Billion $12 Billion $5 Billion$13 Billion $4 Billion $12.63 Billion2

$122 Billion $19 Billion $13 Billion $9 Billion $657 Billion $9 Billion $0.34 Billion2

$17 Billion $2 Billion$6 Billion $5.17 Billion2

$350 Billion2

$14 Billion $64 Billion $4 Billion$48.06 Billion2

$5 Billion $50 Billion £5.8 Billion $29 Billion $14 Billion

$17.94 Trillion $ 3.003 Trillion $82.87 Billion2

38,813,72019,088,10610,160,5562,155,78418,365,12410,395,931538,53523,130,7085,277,95911,412,107766,8654,662,44677,433,74422,848,944810,17986,895,096722,2546,380,80396,633,4561,672,5971,925,52725,758,10811,474,3831,693,39845,010,0561,942,0084,092,3106,244,17423,201,92617,377,46816,455,9033,516,8061,331,15532,987,20624,692,1442,198,40617,466,172177,155,76012,337,138190,42813,635,92791,6505,743,72510,428,04348,375,64411,562,69535,482,2321,419,62349,639,1367,351,37410,937,52135,918,91614,638,50513,771,721

318,892,09663,742,976–

Algeria AngolaBeninBotswanaBurkina FasoBurundiCape VerdeCameroonCentral African RepChadComorosCongo, Rep ofCongo, Dem. Rep ofCote d’IvoireDjiboutiEgyptEquatorial GuineaEritreaEthiopiaGabonGambiaGhanaGuineaGuinea-BissauKenyaLesothoLiberiaLibyaMadagascarMalawiMaliMauritaniaMauritiusMoroccoMozambiqueNamibiaNigerNigeriaRwandaSao Tome and PrincipeSenegalSeychellesSierra LeoneSomaliaSouth AfricaSouth SudanSudanSwazilandTanzaniaTogoTunisiaugandaZambiaZimbabwe

united StatesGreat BritainDubai

1.88%2.78%2.81%1.26%3.05%3.28%1.39%2.6%2.13%1.92%1.87%1.94%2.5%1.96%2.23%1.84%2.54%2.3%2.89%1.94%2.23%2.19%2.63%1.93%2.11%0.34%2.52%3.08%2.62%3.33%3%2.26%0.66%1.02%2.45%0.67%3.28%2.47%2.63%1.89%2.48%0.87%2.33%1.75%-0.48%4.12%1.78%1.14%2.8%2.71%0.92%3.24%2.88%4.36%

0.77%0.54%–

2013 2,733,0002013 650,000 2013 231,000 2012 1,614,000 2013 218,000–2013 503,0002012 817,0002012 65,000 2013 100,000 2006 29,000 2013 343,000 2012 167,000 2013 380,000 2013 60,000 2013 9,174,000 ––2013 681,000–2013 171,0002013 994,0002013 56,000–2013 1,434,0002013 433,000 ––2013 196,000 2012 770,000 2013 142,000 –2013 993,0002013 10,046,000 2013 1,886,0002013 1,176,000 2013 123,000 2012 486,000 2013 864,0002013 12,000 2013 1,000,0002013 230,000 2014 44,000 –2013 9,537,000–2013 591,0002013 968,0002013 1,063,0002014 282,0002013 6,200,000 2013 1,200,0002014 947,000 2013 1,800,000

2013 69,900,0002013 31,000,000 2014 13,200,000

-18.77%-9.24%4.54%

-4.53%-14.13%

–-1.82%10.41%8.45%

18.03%-93.33%

8.04%12.56%19.32%4.76%4.72%

––

11.55%–

-9.61%9.05%

-69%–

-13.70%59.87%

––

11.70%3.14%

15.47%–

4.42%2.46%0.73%

2%8.88%

19%26.15%

33.33%9.09%0.86%

-62.96%–

0.12%–

13.59%23.17%29.13%

-20%-1.97%7.69%5.30%5.26%

–6.04%9.88%7.69%

Empty fields reflect no data or profile available at the time

19

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101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142434445464748495051

#9: The Index – VENDS Africa Tourism Growth vs. Ranking

Annual Tourism GrowthCountry Tourist Board

Ranking

0.12%0.86%4.72%4.42%-13.70%29.13%2%-4.53%26.15%-62.96%-1.97%-9.61%5.30%11.70%7.69%0.73%19.32%9.09%5.26%-18.77%9.05%-69%11.55%3.14%23.17%59.87%19%-20%2.46%4.76%8.88%-93.33%4.54%10.41%

–––

15.47%13.59%

–––

-9.24%-14.13%-1.82%18.03%

––

33.33%––

South AfricaThe Seychelles IslandsEgypt TravelMauritiusMagical KenyaTanzania Tourist BoardNamibiaBotswana TourismRwanda TourismVisit Sierra LeoneTourism TunisiaVisit The GambiaZambia TourismMadagascar TourismeVisit ugandaVisit MozambiqueCôte d’Ivoire TourismeAu SenegalZimbabwe Tourism AlgeriaGhana TravelPapua New Guinea TravelEthopia Tourism Visit MalawiThe Kingdom of SwazilandVisit LesothoCome to NigeriaTogo TourismeVisit MoroccoVisit DjiboutiNiger TourismeComoros IslandsBenin TourismeCameroon TouristLe GabonLibya Visit BurundiMali TourismSud TourismEritreaLiberia Mauriitania Angola Travel and ToursBurkinaCabo VerdeChad NowEquatorial GuineaGuinea Bissau Republic Sao Tome e PrincipeVisit SomaliaSud Tourism (South Sudan)

Empty fields reflect no data or profile available at the time

20

There are several key principlesto keep in mind when seeking tobuild a tourism-focused socialmedia presence in Africa.

1. SIZE DOESN’T COuNT

While it is true that, the larger aneconomy, the greater its social mediapotential, the actualisation of thispotential is not uniform across Africa.

Smaller destinations have been able tobuild larger and more engaging profiles,leaving several stronger economieslagging behind. In social media success, itis neither a destination’s size nor itsresources but its tourist entities’strategies, effort and commitment thatmake all the difference.

2. ExCEPTIONS ARE THE RuLE

There are no simple answers in Africa.Social media performance does nottranslate consistently into increasedtourism growth – at least, not in anydefinitive way. The outcome depends onthe destination itself and the geopoliticaland other contexts within which thatdestination finds itself.

Africa’s countries are so diverse and itscircumstances so dynamic that we can’texamine social media, tourism and travel-related variables in a vacuum.

For instance, concerns about security andeconomic stability are causing someAfrican countries to see a reduction ininternational arrivals. Other commondifficulties include low internationalopenness and low environmentalsustainability – dimensions on whichalmost all African countries appear toperform well below the internationalaverage.

3. BASICS BEFORE BRILLIANCE

Reach, frequency, engagement,responsiveness and richness in socialmedia are all very well without the basics,which include infrastructure, connectivity,digital literacy, training, and strategy. Associal media is a relatively new item onthe agenda for most African touristdestinations, the only way to sustainablydraw on its potential is to get the buildingblocks in place first.

4. FACEBOOK IS A BEHEMOTH

In Africa it’s not about the sexy newtechnology; the emerging media formats;the disruptive platforms. It’s about tried-and-tested Facebook, which exertsunrivalled influence over social media inAfrica.

Bellinda Carreira, Executive Head:Interactive Marketing at Standard Bank,says that, “The speed of growth ofFacebook in some African markets hasbeen unprecedented. Facebook has alsoinvested in improving its feature phoneversion and made this available toadvertisers, which is changing the waymany organisations reach people… andaccess markets.”

Granted, social media platforms likeTwier do have niche roles to play, butFacebook is the winner. (And we shouldn’tunder-estimate Google+.)

5. MOBILE IS ON THE RISE

Because travel itself is mobile by nature,it is lile wonder that mobiletechnologies can prompt huge changes intourists and tourism businesses. What’smore, given that travel encompasseshighly personal and subjectiveexperiences, it lends itself perfectly tothe use of mobile social media.

#10: Lessons to be Learned – VENDS’ Commentary

Although Africa is the world’s leastmobile-penetrated continent, this ischanging. Mobile penetration in 2013stood at 17%. The experts predict 386million unique mobile subscribers in sub-Saharan Africa by the end of 2016, andpenetration of 37% in the same region by2020. Moreover, those in the knowsuggest that the mobile revolution willhave as profound an effect on the Africancontinent as the industrial revolutionsthat changed history.

6. LANGuAGE IS POWER

Only 8% of the world’s 7.2 billioninhabitants speak English as a firstlanguage. Yet travel statistics tell us, forexample, that Chinese visits to SouthAfrica year-on-year are five-fold higherthan those of any other nationality.

Elsewhere in Africa this is all the moretrue and must begin to change, so thatdestinations can compellingly marketthemselves to billions of users who maynot be active in English, but have hugespending power.

7. THE POTENTIAL IS ENORMOuS

If one word emerges clearly from thisresearch, it’s ‘potential’. Enhancedpresence on social media can only help tospread the awareness of the wonders ofAfrica, rather than focusing on theregion’s maladies. What’s more, the greatbenefits of social media tend to extendto the surrounding services thataccompany booming online trade intourism. In short, the opportunities areenormous, but so too is the headway tobe made.

VENDS is the world’s leadingtravel and tourism social media content network.

Our aim is to help brands and businessesto connect directly with hundreds ofmillions of consumers through socialmedia.

The VENDS channel matrix covershundreds of social media sites, eachthemed in the destination and lifestylesectors. Our engaging content ispublished in 12 languages on eight socialmedia platforms to audiences spanningthe globe.

VENDS

Vends has offices in Abu Dhabi , Cape Townand London. For further info contactinfo@vendsmedia.com or visit our web siteat www.vendsmedia.com

©2016 VENDS

21