Africa is often overlooked by travellers. The image of “the dark continent” — reinforced by downbeat new reports and gritty Hollywood blockbusters — is resilient even in the 21st century. But Africa is a big, big place. There are plenty of places that offer just as much enjoyment to the luxury traveller as they would any backpacking adventurer.
African tourism is expected to grow too. Overall, tourism figures weren’t particularly upbeat for 2015, mostly due to North African instability, but the 2016 outlook — particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa — is much more upbeat. Last month, the U.N. World Tourism Organization predicted that tourism in the region world will 2-5% in the coming year.
Sun-kissed resorts in Sharm El Sheikh, the Seychelles, and Mauritius still take a large chunk of the region’s tourism, but it goes beyond that. A recent report by Forbes ranked Kenya, Namibia and Botswana among the top destinations in the region for ultra-luxurious desert getaways.
Also, the Global Wellness Institute recently credited Sub-Saharan Africa as the world’s fastest-growing wellness tourism market with wellness tourism revenue growing from $2 billion in 2012 to $3.1 billion in 2013, a growth of 57%. Meanwhile, the number of trips nearly doubled over the same period from 2.2 million to 4.2 million.
So where are people going? Well, here is TripAdvisor’s list of some of the top luxury African resorts rated by its users:
- Maritim Jolie Ville Kings Island Luxor — Luxor, Egypt
- Four Season Resorts — Baie Lazare, Seychelles
- The Royal Savoy — Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt
- Raffles Praslin — Anse Takamaka, Seychelles
- Constance Belle Mare Plage — Belle Mare, Mauritius
- Sarova Mara Game Camp — Maasai Mara, Kenya
- Reef Oasis Blue Bay Resort — Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt
- Sea Cliff Resort & Spa, Zanzibar Island
- Riu Imperial Marhaba — Port El Kantou, Tunisia
- Fairmont Zimbali Resort — Ballito, South Africa
Photo: Diana Robinson