When I was looking at flights from Accra to South Africa a week or so ago (which I ultimately couldn’t currently afford), I came to realize that airfare within Africa is insanely expensive. Like crazy expensive. Basically to get anywhere from Accra (where I am right now) is roughly $1,000 – whether that be to Nairobi, Madrid, or Washington DC doesn’t matter. Getting to South Africa was even worse at $1350. I’d make a big bet that if Africa as a whole took some steps to make flights between African nations more affordable (when will there be a “Southwest Airlines of Africa”), then they’d see a substantial boost in overall tourism – particularly from budget travelers who often spend all their money in Europe and Southeast Asia. Almost everyone I talk to wants to venture to Africa, but the transportation costs to and from are the primary reason for someone not pulling the trigger on a trip. Either that or, and they won’t usually say this, but they are just not ready to deal with the inconveniences of the non-Westernized world & to see the way the majority of the world lives on a daily basis. Regardless, I think cheaper airfare within Africa could lure half of those budget travelers currently on the fence about visiting Africa — by enabling budget travelers to afford to visit multiple countries in a single trip over the course of a few months rather than being limited to a single country for $2,000 in airfare.
