An independent research study commissioned by Amadeus and run by strategy consultancy, Inquisition, uncovered that Africans are increasingly looking for agents that offer online and mobile services. Key findings from the survey of over 2,500 travelers across Angola, Ghana, Kenya, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Senegal and South Africa, include:

• Travelers increasingly take control of their bookings using online tools, with 25% of them booking directly with the service provider, such as the airline or the hotel
• Travelers want to manage travel themselves, with 25% reporting they go online to use a travel booking website to make reservations and confirm their hotel
• Travelers are increasingly booking travel arrangements via mobile, with 14% of the African travelers polled using their mobile phones to pay service providers

According to the International Reporting Project of Johns Hopkins University, Kenya can be considered a microcosm for the African continent due in part to its high literacy rate, progress as “one of the most promising and prosperous African nations,” and being one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world.

As such, statistics like those presented by the Central Bank of Kenya, which show that 60% of the adult population are using mobile money transfer, highlighted by the success of sites like the hotel booking website Jovago, proves how mobile payments ease people’s lives in the African travel industry.

Using the success of mobile payments within the Kenyan microcosm, we can clearly visualize the future of the travel industry throughout the African continent.

Mobile payments as a competitive edge

These studies and reports point to one absolute: international travel companies – whether they are airlines, hotel chains, or large global travel agencies – must offer mobile payments to the African travel and tourism market. Doing so positions them to gain on their competition and establish a stronghold in a market and a region that is expected to bloom. Read more