The Regional Tourism Organisation of Southern Africa (RETOSA) will take away many valuable lessons from the Festival of Africa hosted to run concurrently with the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

The Regional Tourism Organisation of Southern Africa (RETOSA) will take away many valuable lessons from the Festival of Africa hosted to run concurrently with the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

The Festival of Africa Expo, developed by RETOSA and Adele Lucas Promotions and running between 11 June and 3 July has yielded many lessons for the Southern African tourism industry.

The Festival, which was a showcase for 10 Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) countries along with Rwanda and Kenya, was punctuated with dynamic live performances by cultural groups from each country.

On 24 June RETOSA hosted the Festival of Africa’s inaugural Investment Conference which was very well attended, yielding a mine of useful information for the various delegates.

Malawi Tourism Director and RETOSA marketing committee chair Isaac Katopola said the Festival of Africa was a good way to promote African countries.

He said: “There has been much talk that other African countries wouldn’t benefit much from the World Cup, but the Festival allowed these (SADC) countries to be exposed.

“The Malawi exhibition for instance was fully stocked with indigenous coffee, beer and various arts & craft. We have information about investment opportunities and have even brought our cultural troupe out,” he said.

Malawi may have been one of the smaller countries but it displayed one of the fullest stands at the Festival, attracting more curious tourists than most other countries.

Complete with live music, clothing and fine art, the Malawians brought a truly festive atmosphere to the Melrose Arch Centre where a massive World Cup Fan Park was host to thousands of soccer fans daily.

“We just wanted to show the visitors what was available in other parts of Africa,” Katopola said, “We package Malawi as a small country that takes you away from it all.

“We have Lake Malawi, which is the eight largest lake in the world at 365 miles long and 62 miles wide. It’s a natural lake with sandy beaches and various species of wildlife.

“We are known as the Warm Heart of Africa because the people are very warm and crime levels are very low. While our infrastructure is moderate our roads are good.

“Our shopping centres are not as big as in South Africa but you will find things that aren’t available anywhere else like Kuehe Kuehe Beer, Nali Chilli Sauce and Malawi Gin which are all very good,” he said.

The costs of travelling in Malawi are also very competitive and it is easy to get to.

He said the Malawian government was already undertaking various initiatives to promote the country as a premium destination including the upgrading of infrastructure, especially around tourist areas.

Also, a 1500-seat convention centre and Five Star Hotel was being constructed in Lilongwe the capital city, which is being funded by the government with assistance from the Chinese government.

As a result of various interactions during the Expo Katopola said he had identified Europe, the United States, South America, Mexico and China as growing markets for Malawi Tourism.

Malawi Tourism has a budget of around US$2 million and will have to use the money wisely to effectively leverage the recent exposure.

“Looking back, we should maybe have made arrangements with a few tour operators,” he said, “But it has been a tremendous learning experience and we will definitely be making changes in upcoming events.

RETOSA Marketing and Commutation Director Kwakye Donkor said the Festival was an important showcase for the various regions during Africa’s first FIFA World Cup.

“This has been a great opportunity to show Southern Africa’s diversity,” he said, “Next year’s All Africa Games in Mozambique will be a great opportunity to leverage this exposure even further.

“It’s difficult to tell what kind of increase we will see in years to come, but this exposure is priceless and the key is to sustain the interest and keep people coming back,” he added.