Chifipa Mhango
* Malawi Tourism Report is two years outdated i.e being released in August 2024 and covering 2022 data
* Yet its primary intention — according to the publishing institution, the National Statistical Office — is to enable decision makers to formulate better strategies
* Used to market tourism products, thereby increasing the number of tourist arrivals
* And consequently contributing to the socio-economic development of a country
By Duncan Mlanjira
Chief Economist for Don Consultancy Group (DCG), Chifipa Mhango — who is newly-elected national director of economics for Alliance for Democracy (AFORD) — contends that President Lazarus Chakwera’s “much self-adored agriculture, tourism and Mining (ATM) economic strategy on tourism will not achieve its objectives if it’s not informed by latest accurate data” adding that it also lacks the basic infrastructural support.
Advertisement
The DCG Chief Economist, who has always offered insightful analysis of Malawi’s economic space, further said “it is very concerning” that Malawi Tourism Report is two years outdated i.e being released in August 2024 and covering 2022 data yet its primary intention — according to the publishing institution, the National Statistical Office — “is to enable decision makers to formulate better strategies used to market tourism products, thereby increasing the number of tourist arrivals and consequently contributing to the socio-economic development of a country”.
The AFORD national director of economic affairs further advised that the tourism sector “is very competitive globally and requires on-going monitoring, with a fact-based approach that is informed by latest accurate data guiding policy direction and strategy”.
In one of his recommendations in a report released on June 11, 2022 and published in Malawi media houses, Mhango encouraged engagement the Ministry responsible for tourism promotion, on a tourism strategy “to depart from the narrow-adopted approach where the focus remains as ‘white’ foreigners on holiday visiting Malawi and wildlife as the only value offering or proposition”.
Mhango once again demonstrated an example of South Africa’s tourism strategy approach where they have a ‘Shot Left Campaign’ aimed at encouraging domestic holiday tourism for the heavy reliance of foreign holiday tourist was unsustainable, model but also a tourism promotion strategy that is based on Holiday Tourism, Medical Tourism, Business Tourism, Educational Tourism and Sports Tourism categorisation.
“This is achieved along with appropriate infrastructure development, through public and private partnership,” adds Mhango. “The concept of expanded tourism definition remains a living policy, meaning it will evolve and be adjusted overtime, as motivations to travel change globally.
“What is even more impressive for South Africa, which holds the tourism sector as a key sector in its economic growth strategy, is its own South African Statistics Office releasing tourism data monthly, in a highly detailed format.” (see latest August 2024 report: https://www.statssa.gov.za/publications/P0350/P0350August2024.pdf).
In referring to the outdated Malawi Tourism Report of August 2024, Mhango said: “The picture continues to reflect a very challenging tourism landscape for Malawi in relation to what the President Chakwera’s administration’s ATM strategy is advocating for.
“As in 2022, Malawi received 736,992 international visitors compared to 431,999 international visitors in 2021, representing 70.6% increase. This figure is still lower than those achieved in the pre-CoVID-19 period of 2012 to 2019, indicating that Malawi’s pace towards recovery remains slow.
“About 60.4% of departing visitors came to Malawi for work or business, 23.4% came to visit friends or relatives, and 16.2% visited Malawi for holiday or vacation.
“This clearly shows that the narrow focus towards promotion of holiday or vacation tourism in Malawi is not yielding the required potential numbers.”
Mhango further indicated that “although the total expenditure by international visitors in 2022 was MK18.4 billion out of which MK14.4 billion, which is equivalent to 78.3%, was spent by visitors who came to visit friends and relatives and only 4.3% (ie MK791.2 million) for holiday or vacation”.
Advertisement
“If one considers the marketing initiatives and expenditure towards promotion of this category of holiday or vacation tourism in Malawi, then the return on investment is negative.
“Contrary to the beliefs in general of Malawi Government’s narrow-defined approach towards tourism attraction, African visitors dominate Malawi as its destination at 88.4%, with Mozambique as the highest number of departing international visitors at 39.1% followed by Zimbabwe (22.3%), South Africa (12.2%), United Republic of Tanzania (7.6%), United States of America (3.9%) and Zambia at 3.9%, with USA (3.9%), UK (2.8%), India (1.6%) and Germany (1.4%), as according to National Statistical Office (NSO) data.”
In his conclusion, the chief economist & AFORD national director of economic affairs says “there is a need for better tourism strategy for Malawi that is fact-based and informed by accurate latest monthly data”.
Mhango even raised a concern in how the report is presenting the data on ‘Section 3.10 Total Expenditure of Departing International Visitors by Purpose of Visit’ where wrong percentages are being analysed for holiday or vacation (78.3%) and expenditure on visiting friends or relatives at 4.3%, “when it’s the other way-round — reflecting lack of quality management in Malawi Government’s own important publication that is supposed to inform a tourism strategy”.
“AFORD will, therefore, aim at developing capacity in Malawi National Statistics Office and improve frequency of economic data release process in its contribution while in Government,” says Mhango in his report copied to Minister of Tourism, Culture & Wildlife; Minister of Information & Digitisation and Malawi media houses.
Advertisement