Tourists Are Flocking To African Cities

When some people picture Africa, one of the first images that may come to mind is a safari stopover, but the African City Guide has been created for travelers of both business and leisure who wish to get out of the chain hotel experience and typical visits in order to visit urban Africa, reports Quartz Africa (QZ). It would seem that the founders wanted visitors to be able to explore more of a city than just the conference centers, vacation resorts, and other tourist friendly markets that cities have to offer.

The site has a way to search for experiences and offers curated recommendations of what to see, do, and eat via insider advice. In fact, everything down from ice cream flavors to playlists can now be “curated,” cites QZ.

An insider and entrepreneur Guiyank Monteiro spoke with reporters, elaborating on why she wishes to share the Mozambican capital Maputo with everyone that she possibly can.

“It’s a combination of the humidity rush that welcomes you, the smile on everyone’s faces, despite what hardships life has thrown at them.”

Although the country’s civil war has been over for going on three decades, the city of Maputo, like several other African cities, still struggles with its popular image. Often the city is better known for bullet scarred buildings and hotels abandoned during the civil war. But Monterio and others hope to squash this stereotype and show off the beauty of Africa’s urban cities, such as Maputo.

Unfortunately, the prevailing inequality does still mean that some parts of the city continue to suffer from a lack of running water. The beachside restaurants offer local and international cuisine, a more nuanced image of urban Africa that helps integrate the continent’s cities into the global economy in hope of improving conditions.

Thanks to sites like Visiter L’Afrique and Tastemakers Africa, these areas are gaining more popularity by sharing spots that are hidden in plain sight; they do so by using local experiences via mostly millennials. This has also driven Airbnb’s growth in Africa.

African City Guide co-founder Eva Shuman remarked on the ever-lingering, patronizing tone of surprise that many express upon finding the charms of various urban cities in Africa.

“Why should it surprise you that these cities have something to offer?”

The African City Guide site has a monthly newsletter that those interested can sign up for. They state on their site that their goal is to help research and “continuously update recommendation and tips from well-known locals and frequent travelers to 23 African cities.”