Africa and the Future of Meaningful Tourism
Dear reader,
this week, Africa has been in the focus of the Meaningful Tourism paradigm discourse. The first five Meaningful Tourism Online Lectures for five African countries provided not only presentations by nine different local experts – five of them Certified Trainers for Meaningful Tourism – but also lively debates with the many participants.
Following an introduction into Meaningful Tourism by PROF M, your humble editor, and a short presentation on Carbon Credit Trading by the MTC partner AIROI, MTC trainers Richard Julius, Brigit Murugi, Biubwa Omar, Eyong Ayuok Ako- Ebot PhD, and Ropafadzaishe Mushoorwa explained why Meaningful Tourism can make a difference in achieving a sustainable and profitable future for tourism in South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania, Cameroon, and Zimbabwe.
They were complemented with presentations from Angela Njehia, Aisha Hussein Mussa, Amir Mamah Adamu, and Prof. Frederick Kasese.
The country-specific presentations will be supplemented by three more lectures focusing on Meaningful Tourism for the African continent in the next three weeks, speaking about Africa-specific Meaningful Tourism holistic approach and tools, about customised KPIs, practical application examples, and a guide to a step-by-step development and application of a Meaningful Tourism strategy.
To mention just a few highlights of the discussions during the Q&A sessions, in the Kenya Online Lecture by answering questions to that point, it could be confirmed that the Meaningful Tourism approach is not following the often romantic image of a "traditional" village as destination to be kept like a museum (“translating to Without rights for women and without dentists”) in discussions about sustainable tourism.
Instead, Africa and especially Kenya can offer urban, modern, young tourism offers way beyond safaris and beach resorts. New tourism products providing transformational experiences in connection to local food, music, design, culture, health, wildlife beyond the Big 5, etc., are giving value to authentic offers and empowering local communities.
Furthermore, they also make stakeholders more resilient to leakage, which sees most of the money spent in traditional tourism moving out of the country to international investors.
The Question and Answer section at the end of the Tanzania/Zanzibar Online Lecture focused on the insight that the alignment of interests can solve the perceived problem of a contradiction between growth and sustainability by understanding that a move towards quality and authentic local products can create more turnover with less environmental problems and helps to keep young people in rural areas as well as resulting in more repeat visitors and brand ambassadors.
During the Online Lecture for Zimbabwe, comments were given not only by officials from the ministry and the national tourism organisation. Among the participants, MTC welcomed Prof. Martina Novelli, who has been one of the leading figures for decades in various projects supporting sustainable tourism development in Africa. Based on personal strong connections to Zimbabwe, she provided her insights and underlined that one of the possible positive effects of introducing a new concept like Meaningful Tourism could be the development of a continent-wide database of Best Practice Examples.
Your humble editor pointed out in response that this is indeed what MTC has started to do already in 2022 with the establishment of the Meaningful Tourism Award, which has been given already three times to such BPEs.
By the way, the 2025 application/recommendation period is ending before the end of the year. It's time to act to be among the awarded destinations, companies, or organizations.
All five Online Lectures for Africa are available as a recording on https://institutetourism.com
The focus moves in the coming week to South Asia. Details are available in the MTC News section below.
As always, all good wishes from Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Georg Arlt (PROF M) and the entire Meaningful Tourism Weekly team in Kathmandu and Manila!
South Asia Online Lectures starting Monday, December 8, 2025
Currently, India, Nepal, and Bangladesh together are home to more than 20% of the global population. However, the three countries jointly received only 1% of the global international tourism arrivals in 2024.
How to grow the tourism industry in South Asia without falling into the traps of overtourism and environmental and cultural damage experienced by other Asian destinations is one of the topics of the series of Online Lectures, which the Meaningful Tourism Centre, in cooperation with the Tourism Institute, provides under the title MEANINGFUL TOURISM AS A TOOL TO DEVELOP SUSTAINABLE TOURISM IN SOUTH ASIA. It starts on December 8, 2025 and concentrates on India, Nepal, and Bangladesh.
Four South Asian destinations will be presented with their connection to Meaningful Tourism, including presentations by eight different local experts – four of whom are Certified Trainers for Meaningful Tourism.
The Online Lecture on Sri Lanka, which was scheduled for December 10, had to be moved to January 2026 due to flooding in many parts of Western Sri Lanka.
Like in the week ending now, the Online Lectures comprise of an introduction into Meaningful Tourism by PROF M, your humble editor, and a short presentation on Carbon Credit Trading by the MTC partner AIROI, followed by presentations by the relevant MTC trainers and other local experts.
Again, participation is free; however, registration is required in advance at Institute of Tourism.
Schedule for the first week (destination-specific content):
There will be five Online Lectures, each concentrating on one destination, all starting at 1:30 pm Indian Standard Time (1:45 pm Nepal, 2:00 pm Bangladesh).
Dec 8: Northeast India
Local speakers: MTC trainer Gaurav Bhan Bhatnagar, local expert Assistant Director Andhra Pradesh Tourism Dr. A. Lajwanti Naidu
Dec 9: North India
Local speakers: MTC trainer Raveesh Mrigendra, local expert Prof Ashish Nag PhD, Dean, School of Tourism, Travel and Hospitality Management, Central University of Himachal Pradesh
Dec 11: Nepal
Local speakers: MTC trainer Rameswar Khadka and Deepti Gautam, local expert Arun Shrestra, Owner Prakriti Eco Farm and Resort
Dec 12: Bangladesh
Local speakers: MTC trainer Faisal Razu and Indrajeet Mallick, PhD, local expert Dean Mohammad Rokibul Kabir, PhD, Daffodil International University
Schedule for the rest of December (South Asia-specific content):
Three more Online Lectures on December 15, 22, and 29, 2025, will provide more detailed information customised specifically for the situation of tourism in South Asia. All lectures start at 1:30 pm Indian Standard Time.
MTC Welcomes New Staff
MTC is proud to announce that Ms. Pragya Khanal has joined the staff at the Meaningful Tourism Centre on December 1, 2025.
She is a Kathmandu-based professional with a Master Degree in Business Studies from Tribhuvan University, the first university in Nepal. She has working experience from previous employment, including communicating and servicing customers in the insurance sector. She is now working in Sales and Marketing at the Meaningful Tourism Centre headquarter in Kathmandu. She has shown honesty, self-motivation, and a strong work ethic, and maintains a positive outlook toward both her career and personal growth.
Pragya will be working for Research and Implementation support projects for MTC customers around the world in cooperation with the MTC local trainers, and will especially assist conferences and fair participations, and help to grow the China-Africa Meaningful Tourism Partnership and other partnerships.
Meaningful Tourism Community: The Meaningful Tourism Transformational Game Workshop Trainer
Trainer: Faisal Razu, Trainer for Bangladesh
Faisal Razu is a seasoned travel consultant and tour operator with over a decade of experience in Bangladesh’s tourism and hospitality industry. As the founder of Piano Island Tours and Travels, he specializes in customized inbound and outbound travel experiences, promoting authentic Bangladeshi culture—from river cruises and village stays to eco-tourism and “Made in Bangladesh” fashion tours.
Faisal also serves as the Asia South Area Representative of the World Federation of Tourist Guide Associations and is the Bangladesh Chapter President of the International Wedding Planners Association. Known for his professionalism and passion, he is dedicated to elevating tourism standards and showcasing Bangladesh as a top global destination.
Meaningful Tourism Weekly: What is the current situation of tourism in Bangladesh and how can the Meaningful Tourism Paradigm help to support its development?
Faisal: My opinion is that the tourism sector in Bangladesh currently plays a mixed role — some areas are gaining modest growth, but serious structural challenges remain.
Domestic tourism in Bangladesh is growing strongly, and public–private partnership investments are remarkable. The government has started the “Visit Bangladesh” campaign, promoting iconic attractions like the Sundarbans mangrove forest, the beaches of Cox’s Bazar, the heritage city of Narayanganj, and the hill regions of Sylhet, Bandarban, and Rangamati.
I am also trying to promote tourism from my side by using #think_bangladesh, #visit_bangladesh, and “Narayanganj — a city full of color.” However, tourism industry development is a continuous process, and overall, it is still under development.
In 2024, this sector was badly affected by political instability, which we discussed during our Zoom meeting. Globally, our tourism ranking was 109 out of 119, according to the World Economic Forum last year.
Bangladesh has many valuable tourism elements. We need focus, and the government needs to make decisions if they want to utilize at least 50% of this potential. A meaningful tourism paradigm — based on sustainability, community involvement, infrastructure development, and strong governance — could help unlock the country’s potential. I believe investors from China and the UAE could take advantage of this opportunity for the best returns.
Finally, without a long-term strategic master plan, public–private partnerships, and coordinated policies, tourism growth is not possible. Such policies would help position Bangladesh’s tourism sector as a driver of economic, environmental, and social development.
MTC Certified Trainers
Please find below the updated overview of all our Certified Trainers for the Meaningful Tourism Transformational Game Workshop, along with the updated World Map showing the countries directly and indirectly covered at present.
With almost 50 Certified Trainers, many countries and regions of the world are already covered. However, MTC continues to look for professionals with experience in training or lecturing and a passion for sustainable tourism.
If you are interested in becoming a Certified Trainer for the Meaningful Tourism Transformational Game Workshop for a country not marked in dark green on the map above, please contact us at office@meaningfultourismcentre.org.
South Asia Online Lectures
December 8 to 12, 2025: Five country/region-specific lectures (one per day)
All starting at 1:30 pm Indian Standard Time (1:45 pm Nepal, 2:00 pm Bangladesh)
Dec 8: Northeast India
Local speakers: MTC trainer Gaurav Bhan Bhatnagar, local expert Assistant Director Andhra Pradesh Tourism Dr. A. Lajwanti Naidu
Dec 9: North India
Local speakers: MTC trainer Raveesh Mrigendra, local expert Prof Ashish Nag PhD, Dean, School of Tourism, Travel and Hospitality Management, Central University of Himachal Pradesh
Dec 11: Nepal
Local speakers: MTC trainer Rameswar Khadka and Deepti Gautam, local expert Arun Shrestra, Owner Prakriti Eco Farm and Resort
Dec 12: Bangladesh
Local speakers: MTC trainer Faisal Razu and Indrajeet Mallick, PhD, local expert Dean Mohammad Rokibul Kabir, PhD, Daffodil International University
Dec 15, 22, 29 (Mondays): South Asia-specific content
All lectures start at 1:30 pm Indian Standard Time.
About Meaningful Tourism Weekly
Meaningful Tourism Weekly is published every Thursday by Meaningful Tourism Centre (MTC) - London and Kathmandu in collaboration with Travel Asia Now, led by Rhea Vitto Tabora.
Each issue features an Editorial, updates on MTC activities, a Best Practice Example, a profile of an MTC-certified trainer, news about upcoming events, and, occasionally, additional op-ed pieces from guest authors. Carefully selected news items, including videos and podcasts, are also included, with links to their original sources in the Meaningful Tourism News section.
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For more information about MTC's training programs, market research, product adaptation, consulting services, conferences, strategy development, and marketing, visit our website or email us at info@meaningfultourismcentre.org.
