UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA
College of Human Sciences – Department of Anthropology & Archaeology
⋄
TOURISM IN AFRICA
APY3704
Assignment 1 – Semester 1, 2026
⋄
Module Code APY3704 – Tourism in Africa
Assignment Assignment 1
Semester Semester 1, 2026
Due Date 13 March 2026
Qualification BA / BA Hons / BCom Tourism
Institution University of South Africa (UNISA)
Faculty College of Human Sciences
Topic Historical Development of Tourism in Africa
Format Academic Essay – APA 7th Edition
Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for APY3704 – UNISA, 2026
,UNISA | APY3704 Tourism in Africa – Assignment 1
Contents
Introduction 2
1. The Pre-Colonial Period 3
2. The Colonial Period 6
3. The Post-Independence Era 10
4. Summary Timeline 16
Conclusion 18
Reference List 19
Page 1 of 20
, UNISA | APY3704 Tourism in Africa – Assignment 1
Introduction
Tourism in Africa has a history far longer and more complex than the brochures and safari
advertisements suggest. Long before European colonisers arrived, African peoples were already
engaging in forms of travel motivated by trade, pilgrimage, diplomacy, and cultural exchange.
The history of tourism on the continent therefore cannot be understood simply as something
that began when Thomas Cook organised his first group excursion, or when the first colonial
hunting lodge was erected in East Africa. It has deep indigenous roots (Sindiga, 1999).
At the same time, the colonial period reshaped African landscapes, economies, and societies
in ways that left an enduring mark on the kinds of tourism that developed and on who that
tourism was designed to serve. The post-independence era then brought new ambitions and
new contradictions, as newly sovereign African states tried to harness tourism as a develop-
ment tool while grappling with the structural legacies of the colonial economy.
This essay traces the historical development of tourism in Africa across three broad phases:
the pre-colonial period, the colonial period, and the post-independence era. For each phase,
it examines what travel and tourism looked like, who was involved, what drove it, and what
consequences it produced. The essay draws on the literature across Eastern, Southern, and
West Africa to provide a continental rather than narrowly regional perspective.
Page 2 of 20
College of Human Sciences – Department of Anthropology & Archaeology
⋄
TOURISM IN AFRICA
APY3704
Assignment 1 – Semester 1, 2026
⋄
Module Code APY3704 – Tourism in Africa
Assignment Assignment 1
Semester Semester 1, 2026
Due Date 13 March 2026
Qualification BA / BA Hons / BCom Tourism
Institution University of South Africa (UNISA)
Faculty College of Human Sciences
Topic Historical Development of Tourism in Africa
Format Academic Essay – APA 7th Edition
Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for APY3704 – UNISA, 2026
,UNISA | APY3704 Tourism in Africa – Assignment 1
Contents
Introduction 2
1. The Pre-Colonial Period 3
2. The Colonial Period 6
3. The Post-Independence Era 10
4. Summary Timeline 16
Conclusion 18
Reference List 19
Page 1 of 20
, UNISA | APY3704 Tourism in Africa – Assignment 1
Introduction
Tourism in Africa has a history far longer and more complex than the brochures and safari
advertisements suggest. Long before European colonisers arrived, African peoples were already
engaging in forms of travel motivated by trade, pilgrimage, diplomacy, and cultural exchange.
The history of tourism on the continent therefore cannot be understood simply as something
that began when Thomas Cook organised his first group excursion, or when the first colonial
hunting lodge was erected in East Africa. It has deep indigenous roots (Sindiga, 1999).
At the same time, the colonial period reshaped African landscapes, economies, and societies
in ways that left an enduring mark on the kinds of tourism that developed and on who that
tourism was designed to serve. The post-independence era then brought new ambitions and
new contradictions, as newly sovereign African states tried to harness tourism as a develop-
ment tool while grappling with the structural legacies of the colonial economy.
This essay traces the historical development of tourism in Africa across three broad phases:
the pre-colonial period, the colonial period, and the post-independence era. For each phase,
it examines what travel and tourism looked like, who was involved, what drove it, and what
consequences it produced. The essay draws on the literature across Eastern, Southern, and
West Africa to provide a continental rather than narrowly regional perspective.
Page 2 of 20
