Celebrating Africa Day through community-driven hospitality partnerships

IOL News

3 days ago

Africa Day is a celebration of identity, resilience and the diverse cultural heritage that defines the continent. In South Africa's tourism and hospitality context, it has also become a time of reflection for the sector, particularly around questions of ownership, representation and long-term community benefit. While African destinations have always held global appeal, there is a growing push to shift tourism from something done to communities to something done with and by them.
While Africa Day may have come and gone, the conversations it sparks around cultural pride, identity, and inclusive progress are ongoing, especially in the tourism and hospitality space.
As a result, community-based tourism is gaining momentum as a practical way to drive more inclusive, resilient and authentic travel experiences. Whether it's a small town or community group offering guided hikes through sacred or lesser known areas, a collective of women teaching beadwork and traditional cooking, or a youth-led project hosting storytelling evenings around a firepit, this approach to tourism looks to serve the community and not just the business owner, allowing local people to earn an income, preserve their culture and build pride from within.
Crucially, these experiences are often co-created and community-led, rather than imposed or extractive. As such, hospitality providers are increasingly being called on to support these efforts, not only through procurement and employment, but by helping to unlock funding, training and audience access. Group Custodian at Dream Hotels & Resorts, Nick Dickson said the industry needs to evolve its understanding of partnership.
'We've moved beyond the idea that offering jobs to locals is enough. In many rural areas, we're seeing a hunger from communities to take ownership of their tourism narrative, including what stories are told, the offerings that are created and how value is shared,' he said.
Dickson highlights a recent example where a small community near one of the group's properties developed a cycling tour initiative after participating in a supplier development programme. The group now caters to domestic and international guests, with guides trained in local history and ecology and mechanics sourced from within the same area.
'The power of that initiative isn't just the income it brings in, but the fact that it came from the community's own vision. We were just a bridge to help them take it further,' he added.
There is growing evidence that community-based tourism supports broader development goals. A 2025 systematic review published in Cogent Social Sciences highlights that community-based tourism in Africa leverages the continent's unique natural and cultural assets to create opportunities for locally based tourism, fostering cultural exchange and contributing to environmental conservation. Dickson notes that in several regions, young people trained through Dream Hotels and Resorts' education and bursary programmes have also gone on to start their tourism micro-enterprises, ranging from drumming workshops to township food walks.
'What excites me most is when you see a guest leave with a deep connection to a place, not just to a lodge or landscape, but to the people and stories they've engaged with. Those are the experiences that change perceptions of our lands and create repeat travellers,' he said.
As the tourism sector continues to recover and reimagine itself post-pandemic, Africa Day is a timely reminder that innovation doesn't always come from technology or luxury, but from a true and meaningful engagement with local knowledge, creativity and community-driven ideas.