US, June 16 -- Africa's travel and tourism sector is entering a new phase of sustained growth, with fresh data from the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) showing the industry is expanding faster than the wider economy and positioning the continent among the world's fastest-growing tourism regions in 2026.

According to WTTC's latest Economic Impact Research (EIR) Travel & Tourism contributed $228 billion to Africa's economy in 2025, representing 7% of regional GDP, while growing by 5%, significantly ahead of the continent's overall economic growth rate of 3.5%. Growth is forecast to accelerate further in 2026, when the sector is expected to reach $241 billion and expand by 5.4%, placing Africa alongside Asia-Pacific as one of the wor...